The  CardinaPs  Rose 


By  :  Van  :  Tassel :  Sutphen 


"'MY  COMPLIMENTS!'  ROARED  THE  BARON" 


The 

CARDINAL' S 


&  Noocl 
BY  VAN   TASSEL   SUTPHEN 

ILLUSTRATED 


NEW  YORK  AND  LONDON 
HARPER  &  BROTHERS 
PUBLISHERS  <  ioi 


Bv   VAN   TASSEL   SUTPHEN. 


THE    GOLFICIDE,  and   Other  Tales  of    the  Fair 
Green.    Illustrated.    16mo,  $1  00. 

j  THE  GOLFER'S  ALPHABET.  Rhymes  by  Mr. 
SUTPHEN  and  Pictures  by  A.  B.  FROST.  Large 
4to,  Boards,  $1  50. 

NEW    YOSK    AND    LONDON  : 
HARPER  &   BROTHERS,  PUBLISHERS. 


Copyright,  1900,  by  W.  G    VAN  T.  SUTPHEN. 
All  rights  reserved. 


CONTENTS 


I.  AT  VINCENT'S  GALLERY i 

II.  THE  "AGONY  COLUMN" ir 

III.  THE  Toss  OF  A  COIN 21 

IV.  "MR.  SMITH"  CHEZ  Lui 26 

V.  THE  SPIDER'S  PARLOR 36 

VI.  THE  PARTING  OF  THE  WAYS 45 

VII.  A  PAGE  OF  POLITICS 55 

VIII.  THE  YELLOW  HOUSE 60 

IX.  THE  MAHOGANY  CLOTHES-PRESS 71 

X.  THE  DEVIL'S  ADVOCATE 85 

XI.  MA!TRE  VAUCLOT  DINES 94 

XII.  THE  WOLF  AT  THE  DOOR 102 

XIII.  I  GO  OUT  TO  SERVICE 114 

XIV.  THE  "PETITE  BOURSE" 122 

XV.  A  PRISONER  OF  WAR 134 

XVI.  TOUCH  AND  Go 144 

XVII.  THE  ENEMY'S  HAND 155 

XVIII.  Fox  AND  HOUNDS 166 

XIX.  A  STERN  CHASE 178 

XX.  THE  LADY  IN  BLACK 188 

XXI.  THE  "RED  COCK"  CROWS 202 

XXII.  THROUGH  THE  DRAGON  GATE 211 

XXIII.  AN  EXCHANGE  OF  CONFIDENCES 220 

XXIV.  THE  TAPESTRIED  CHAMBER 230 

iii 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

XXV.  ON  THE  "RAZOR  EDGE" 240 

XXVI.  THE  BARON'S  DICE-BOX 247 

XXVII.  THE  "  HEART  OF  KAR  " 256 

XXVIII.  INTO  THE  LIGHT 263 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


"'MY  COMPLIMENTS,'  ROARED  THE  BARON".  .  .  .  Frontispiece 
"  I  HAD  TO  TAKE  THE  PUZZLE  WITH  ME  TO  THE 

OFFICE" Facing  p.  12 

"DOWN  TOGETHER  IN  ONE  MIGHTY  CRASH"  ...  "  32 

"FOR  TWO  HOURS  I  HAVE  BEEN  RIDING"  ....  "  60 

"THK  YELLOW  HOUSE" "  62 

"A  VIOLENT  SHOVE,  FULL  IN  THE  CHEST"  ....  "  76 
"  PERROQUET  ENTERED  THE  ROOM,  CARRYING  A 

TRAY" "  82 

"GOD!  HE  WAS  PUTTING  OUT  HIS  HAND".  ...  "  98 
"'WITH  YOUR  PERMISSION,  MADEMOISELLE,  I  WILL 

REMAIN'" "  130 

"I  RAN  ACROSS  THE  STREET" "  136 

"'DO  NOT  ATTEMPT  TO  STIR'" "  140 

"I  FOUND  THK  BARON  IN  THE  CHART-ROOM"  ...  "  170 

"i  DREW  REIN,  ALONE" "  208 

"  '  DON'T   BE   A   FOOL,'  HE   SAID,   IN   A    WHISPER"    .       .  "  214 

"  I    FOLLOWED    HIM   THROUGH   A    SIDE    ENTRANCE  "      .  "  2l6 

"  'MY   FINGER   WAS   UPON   HIS   LIP  '  " "  236 

ON   THE    "RAZOR    EDGE" "  242 

"AND   THEN   ALL   WENT   FROM   ME"  "  260 


THE  CARDINAL'S  ROSE 


CHAPTER   I 
AT  VINCENT'S  GALLERY 

had  turned  at  the  last  moment,  as 
though  moved  by  a  hidden  impulse,  and 
her  eyes  seemed  to  be  looking  straight 
into  mine.  So  near  she  stood  that  a  fold 
of  her  gown  had  almost  grazed  my  hand ; 
a  step  would  have  put  me  at  her  side.  And  there 
the  crowd  surged  in  between  us.  I  tried  to  press 
forward,  but  she  was  gone.  Gone  !  I  cursed  my  stu 
pidity,  as  I  stood  gazing  blankly  into  space. 

"  Pardon  me,  young  man,  but  that  is  my  foot." 
"  My  foot,  I   say,"  repeated   the  stout  gentleman, 
with  increasing  acerbity  of  manner.     "  I'm  the  only 
person  who's  entitled  to  stand  on  it,  and  so  at  your 
earliest  convenience — " 

I  stammered  out  some  kind  of  an  apology,  and  sank 
back  into  my  chair.  People  were  looking  at  me  with 
curious  attention,  and  I  felt  hot  and  embarrassed. 
The  lecturer  took  up  his  parable  again. 

"  Finally,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  I  have  the  honor 
to  present  to  your  notice  a  characteristic  scene  of  old 
Spain — the  bull-ring  at  Seville."  A  bell  tinkled,  and 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

the  crowded  amphitheatre  of  the  Plaza  de  Toros 
flashed  out  upon  the  illuminated  screen. 

Well,  I  had  made  a  fool  of  myself ;  no  question 
about  that.  To  lose  my  head  over  the  apparition  of 
a  girl's  face  in  a  cinematograph  picture  !  Could  any 
thing  be  more  absurd  ? 

The  performance  was  over  now,  and  the  specta 
tors  were  filing  out,  but  I  sat  with  my  eyes  fixed  fast 
upon  my  programme.  I  was  sure  that  people  were 
still  looking  at  me;  there  was  a  buzz  of  voices  be 
hind  my  back,  and  then  somebody  laughed  out 
right.  It  was  intolerable,  and  I  writhed  in  all  the 
unutterable  pangs  of  self-consciousness.  And  yet  by 
this  time  the  ridiculous  incident  had  undoubtedly 
been  forgotten  by  every  one  in  the  room,  with  the 
possible  exception  of  the  stout  gentleman.  Some 
offences  are  mortal,  or  rather  immortal,  and  that 
gouty  foot  would  be  a  constant  reminder  of  injury 
unavenged.  I  determined  to  keep  my  seat  until  the 
music  began  for  the  second  performance,  and  then 
make  an  unobtrusive  exit. 

Vincent's  Gallery  is  an  institution  in  the  best  sense 
of  that  overworked  word.  Its  realistic  wax-works 
are  famous  everywhere,  and  the  moral  tone  of  its 
concert-hall  is  unexceptionable.  Respectable  people 
can  go  freely  to  Vincent's,  or  send  their  children 
there,  without  feeling  obliged  to  take  a  precautionary 
glance  over  the  programme.  It  is  always  all  that  it 
should  be,  and  that  means  something  nowadays,  as 
,we  know.  Incidentally,  it  is  an  enormously  profit 
able  affair,  which  goes  to  show  that  Virtue,  as  well 
as  Vice,  will  pay  high  for  what  it  wants. 

It  is  a  dozen  years  since  I  have  been  within  the 
walls  of  Vincent's,  but  I  had  an  hour  to  spare  this 
evening,  and  the  gallery  was  right  on  my  way  to  the 
train.  It  would  be  amusing  to  renew  my  boyish  ac- 

2 


AT    VINCENT'S    GALLERY 

quaintance  with  those  beautiful  kings  and  emperors, 
and  to  taste  again  the  shuddery  delights  of  the  Cham 
ber  of  Horrors.  So  I  paid  my  fifty  cents  and  went  in. 

The  great  hall  looked  just  about  the  same,  although 
I  missed  some  familiar  faces — old-time  embezzlers  and 
murderers  who  had  been  famous  enough  in  their  day. 
But  I  am  philosophical,  and  I  recognize  that  there  is 
fashion  in  criminology  as  well  as  in  crinoline.  More 
over,  the  rural  visitors,  who  are  eating  their  luncheon 
out  of  a  brown-paper  bag,  look  just  the  same  as  ever, 
and  I  love  to  listen  to  their  deliciously  frank  com 
ments  upon  the  personal  appearance  of  the  crowned 
and  sceptred  effigies  that  surround  them.  The  Presi 
dent  of  the  United  States  is  always  spoken  of  with 
deference,  but  there  are  generally  two  opinions  about 
Napoleon,  and  the  German  emperor's  legs  come  in 
for  a  good  share  of  unfriendly  criticism. 

The  Hungarian  band  in  the  concert-hall  has  been 
reinforced  by  a  new  attraction — the  cinematograph. 
Three  performances  a  night,  with  an  entire  change  of 
bill  every  two  weeks,  is  the  attractive  wording  of  the 
bill-board  out  upon  the  street,  and,  to  tell  the  truth,  it 
was  a  desire  to  see  the  cinematograph  that  had  taken 
me  into  Vincent's.  Nowadays  animated  pictures  are 
no  novelty ;  but,  as  it  happened,  I  had  never  seen  an 
exhibition  of  that  marvellous  optical  illusion.  Here 
was  my  opportunity.  So  I  took  care  to  be  on  hand  in 
the  concert-hall  when  the  time  came  for  the  cinemat 
ograph  to  exploit  itself. 

It  was  all  most  interesting,  and  I  heartily  enjoyed 
the  splendid  realism  of  Niagara  and  of  the  Empire 
State  Express.  A  dozen  ordinary  and  made-up  pict 
ures  followed,  and  then  came  the  scene  that  in  an  in 
stant  had  served  to  divert  the  current  of  my  life  into 
new  and  unfamiliar  channels. 

The  picture  was  not  particularly  remarkable  in  it- 

3 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

self.  There  was  the  title  on  the  programme  :  "  On 
the  Pier  at  Dover.  Departure  of  the  Calais  Mail- 
Packet."  It  was  only  interesting  because  it  was  a 
scene  from  real  life,  full  of  action  and  bustle.  The 
picture  showed  the  pier  with  the  packet  in  the  back 
ground.  Steam  was  issuing  from  the  escape  -  pipes 
and  sailing-time  was  evidently  near  at  hand.  Passen 
gers  and  porters  were  jostling  each  other,  fruit  vend 
ers  and  newsboys  hawked  their  wares  so  realistically 
that  one  could  almost  hear  their  cries.  Great  cranes 
were  hoisting  aboard  innumerable  packages  and  boxes, 
and  one  party  of  excitable  Frenchmen  were  contin 
ually  running  up  and  down  the  gang-plank,  cannon 
ing  into  their  neighbors  and  each  other  with  the  ut 
most  unconcern  and  good-humor.  And  then  into  this 
scene  of  hurry  and  confusion  she  came,  and  all  else 
was  blotted  out. 

A  slight  figure  in  travelling-dress  and  storm-coat. 
I  did  not  even  notice  her  at  first ;  indeed,  my  atten 
tion  had  already  begun  to  flag,  and  the  thought  of 
train-time  had  occurred  to  me.  The  white  glare  of 
the  screen  and  the  constant  flickering  of  the  imper 
fectly  working  mechanism  were  most  trying  to  the 
eyes  ;  I  half  rose  from  my  chair.  Well,  was  it  some 
subtle  pressure  from  Fate's  controlling  hand  or  mere 
blind  chance  that  she  stopped  and  looked  back?  Call 
it  what  you  will,  she  had  felt  and  yielded  to  the  im 
pulse,  and  in  that  moment  the  warp  and  woof  had 
been  set  and  the  shuttle  had  begun  to  move. 

Does  all  this  sound  forced  and  unreal  to  the  matter- 
of-fact  mind?  Was  I  but  the  victim  of  a  disordered 
imagination?  Remember  that  this  was  no  "made- 
up  "  picture,  no  careful  composition  of  puppets  to 
amuse  the  idle  eye.  What  I  had  seen  was  an  actual 
transcription  from  life ;  it  was  a  woman  of  flesh  and 
blood  who  had  stood  there  on  Dover  pier  before  the 

4 


AT    VINCENT'S    GALLERY 

passionless  eye  of  the  recording  camera.  It  was  that 
very  same  woman  whom  I  saw  now,  I  who  was  sitting 
in  the  concert-hall  of  Vincent's  Gallery  and  counting 
the  minutes  to  train-time. 

If  the  arrow  be  well  shot  it  will  find  a  target  some 
where.  The  appeal  at  least  was  definite  and  insist 
ent  ;  through  all  the  intervening  media  of  time  and  of 
space  it  rang  out  clear  and  strong,  a  message  impos 
sible  to  misunderstand  and  still  less  to  ignore.  And 
that  message  had  come  to  me !  Shall  we  say  "  Kis 
met"  then — the  word  may  conveniently  stand  for 
everything  that  is  extra-conscious  and  presumably 
unknowable. 

By  this  time  I  had  forgotten  my  recent  humiliation  ; 
and  as  for  trains,  there  were  plenty  of  later  ones. 
The  same  pictures  would  be  shown  again  after  the 
band  had  played  a  couple  of  numbers,  and  I  waited 
impatiently  for  the  closing  chords.  There  !  that  was 
done  with  at  last !  Now  for  the  people  to  get  into 
their  seats  ;  the  hall  was  being  darkened,  the  lecturer 
was  at  his  post.  How  intolerably  slow  everybody 
was — would  we  never  get  started  i  Niagara  and  all 
the  rest  of  that  rubbish,  and  then  at  last :  "  On  the 
Pier  at  Dover.  Departure  of  the  Calais  Mail-Packet." 

The  same  scene  of  rush  and  confusion,  but  I  was 
looking  at  it  now  with  different  eyes  ;  I  was  waiting 
for  some  one  to  come.  In  the  mean  time  I  noticed 
some  details  that  had  before  escaped  me.  A  man  on 
the  extreme  right  was  pasting  upon  a  bulletin-board 
the  announcement  of  what  was  evidently  a  newspaper 
extra.  I  could  read  the  words  in  big  type  at  the  top 
of  the  sheet :  "  Cambridge  wins  !"  Undoubtedly  the 
reference  was  to  the  'Varsity  boat-race;  well,  hurrah 
for  the  Light  Blue  ! 

Deep  in  the  swirl  of  the  crowd,  my  eye  fell  upon 
another  figure,  and  I  noticed  how  his  look  shifted  here 

5 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

and  there  as  he  stood  motionless  at  the  cabin  gang 
way.  Was  he,  too,  waiting  for  some  one?  A  fine 
soldierly  figure  and  a  pleasant  face,  albeit  somewhat 
disfigured  by  an  unusually  aggressive  "  pompadour." 
I  will  remember  that  face. 

There  was  a  little  movement  in  the  crowd,  and  she 
had  come  again.  I  watched  her  make  her  way  to  the 
centre  of  the  pier,  and  I  now  saw  that  she  was  accom 
panied  by  two  men,  the  one  elderly,  the  other  his 
junior  by  thirty  years  or  more.  The  party  had 
now  advanced  to  a  point  directly  opposite  the  gang 
way,  and  for  the  moment  an  incredible  misgiving 
oppressed  my  mind.  Perhaps  this  time  she  would  not 
look  back  ;  idiot  that  I  was,  I  hardly  dared  to  breathe. 
Fortunately  the  laws  of  physics  are  immutable,  and  I 
had  distressed  myself  unnecessarily — there  !  She  was 
looking  now.  I  tried  to  think  collectedly  ;  I  would 
note  down  each  feature,  line  by  line,  and  mark  by 
mark.  As  though  a  man  needed  the  anthropometric 
chart  of  a  Bertillon  in  order  to  recognize  the  face  of 
a  friend ! 

Again  it  was  but  that  fleeting  glance,  but  I  knew 
that  I  should  not  forget.  The  elderly  man  had  tapped 
her  upon  the  shoulder,  and  now  she  was  following  him 
up  the  gang-plank.  The  younger  man  lingered  be 
hind  for  a  moment  or  two  ;  I  was  dimly  conscious 
that  he  was  talking  with  the  man  of  the  pompadour 
hair.  Then  he  too  boarded  the  steamer,  and  the  three 
disappeared  through  the  door  leading  to  the  saloon. 
Half  a  dozen  more  clicks  of  the  machinery  and  the 
light  went  out ;  the  picture  had  run  its  course. 

There  was  to  be  still  a  third  and  final  exhibition  of 
the  cinematograph,  and  I  need  hardly  say  that  I  was 
again  among  the  spectators.  I  kept  my  eyes  fixed 
hard  upon  "  Monsieur  Pompadour,"  as  I  had  mentally 
christened  him,  for  I  had  an  odd  sort  of  feeling  that 

6 


AT    VINCENT'S    GALLERY 

this  time  something  was  to  happen,  and  that  I  must 
not  miss  it.  Was  there  some  mysterious  connection 
between  him  and  the  three  people  in  whose  every 
movement  I  had  now  taken  so  deep  an  interest  ?  As 
I  had  noted  during  the  preceding  exhibition  of  the 
picture,  something  had  passed  between  the  young 
man  and  the  patient  watcher  at  the  gangway — some 
thing  that  suggested  a  secret  understanding.  It 
might  be  worth  my  while  to  keep  an  eye  upon  these 
two. 

The  panorama  passed  as  before  ;  but  this  time  I 
took  a  long  look  at  the  elderly  man  and  his  young 
companion.  The  old  gentleman  I  put  down  as  the 
young  woman's  father,  or  at  least  a  near  relative.  I 
noticed  that  he  carried  a  tin  despatch-box,  and  there 
was  something  wrong  with  the  lock.  He  stopped  and 
tried  to  force  the  hasp  into  place,  but  it  would  not 
catch.  I  could  see  that  the  younger  man,  attired,  by- 
the-way,  in  a  magnificent  coat  of  Russian  sables,  was 
standing  at  the  elderly  man's  side  ;  apparently  he  was 
offering  his  assistance  in  the  subduing  of  the  refrac 
tory  lock. 

Well,  what  was  it  that  happened  so  quickly  ?  Some 
movement  so  rapidly  executed  as  to  baffle  even  my 
concentrated  attention  had  passed  between  the  two 
men.  I  could  not  be  sure  of  anything,  but  it  gave  me 
the  impression  of  the  sleight  of  hand  with  which  a  skil 
ful  prestidigitator  makes  a  pass  at  cards.  We  think 
that  it  is  stupid  of  us  not  to  catch  it,  but  in  reality 
the  human  eye  stands  a  poor  show  before  the  trained 
skill  of  the  conjurer.  It  is  not  that  the  eye  is  slower 
than  the  hand,  but  it  is  so  easy  to  distract  it  at  the 
one  critical,  infinitesimal  moment. 

The  picture  was  over,  but  the  lecturer  announced 
that  for  the  amusement  of  the  audience  it  would  be 
shown  again,  and  this  time  running  backward  through 

7 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

the  machine.  There  was  a  flutter  among  the  specta 
tors,  and  everybody  looked  eagerly  at  this  curious  re 
versal  of  natural  order. 

At  the  last  moment  of  the  original  scene  a  sailor 
had  swung  himself  over  the  steamer's  rail  and  dropped 
lightly  to  the  pier  below.  I  now  saw  him  on  the  dock, 
half-crouching  as  he  had  fallen,  then  rising  swiftly 
through  the  air  and  vaulting  backward  to  the  steam 
er's  deck.  It  was  amusing,  and  the  audience  applauded. 

The  machinery  clicked  on,  and  now  my  two  sus 
pects,  the  young  man  in  the  fur  coat  and  the  watcher 
at  the  gangway,  were  holding  their  momentary  con 
versation.  And  then  I  saw  "  Pompadour  "  take  a 
small  package  from  a  breast-pocket  and  slip  it  into 
"Fur  Coat's"  hand.  Keep  clearly  in  mind  that  all 
this  was  the  reverse  of  what  had  actually  happened. 

Again  the  young  man  had  edged  up  to  where  the 
old  gentleman  was  fumbling  with  the  lock  of  the  de 
spatch-box  ;  now  they  were  standing  close  together ;  I 
looked  with  all  my  eyes,  and  just  then  a  peculiar 
thing  happened. 

The  mechanism  of  the  cinematograph  was  not 
working  well — the  recording-roll  did  not  take  kindly 
to  the  reversing  process.  The  picture  flickered  wildly, 
halted  for  an  instant,  and  then  stopped  altogether. 
And  there,  fixed  in  the  very  act,  was  the  gentleman 
of  the  fur  coat,  his  hand  unmistakably  concealed  un 
der  the  lid  of  the  despatch-box.  The  camera,  record 
ing  the  scene  at  the  rate  of  fifty  photographs  a  second, 
had  not  been  deceived,  and  now,  by  a  fortuitous 
chance,  it  had  been  permitted  to  reveal  what  the  hu 
man  eye  could  never  have  seen  nor  noted  for  itself. 
And  the  secret  had  been  shown  to  me. 

The  picture  was  hastily  removed  from  the  machine, 
and  the  exhibition  proceeded.  I  left  the  gallery  and 
made  my  way  to  a  hotel,  for  I  had  now  missed  even 

8 


AT    VINCENT'S    GALLERY 

the  latest  train,  and  must  perforce  spend  the  night  in 
town.  I  went  to  bed  at  once,  but  not  to  sleep  ;  my 
mind  was  obstinately  busy  with  the  problem  just  pre 
sented  to  it  in  so  curious  a  fashion. 

Time  and  time  again  I  went  over  the  sequence  of 
events,  and  tried  to  set  down  the  logical  deduction. 
Undoubtedly,  the  party  of  three  were  travelling  to 
gether,  and  were  on  terms  of  close  intimacy.  And 
yet  the  young  man  in  the  fur  coat  had  taken  base  ad 
vantage  of  a  moment  when  the  girl  was  looking  away 
and  the  attention  of  the  elderly  man  was  also  preoc 
cupied.  He  had  deliberately  abstracted  from  the  de 
spatch-box — a  packet,  a  letter  ?  No  matter  what  it  was, 
he  had  taken  it  by  stealth,  and  a  moment  later  he 
had  conveyed  it  into  the  keeping  of  "  M.  Pompa 
dour."  Something,  then,  that  the  young  man  must 
obtain,  even  at  the  cost  of  a  crime,  and  yet  dared  not 
keep  for  a  moment  in  his  own  possession. 

I  say  crime  advisedly,  for  this  was  no  common 
sneak-thief  performance.  The  attire  and  bearing  of 
the  man  in  the  fur  coat  proclaimed  an  assured  stand 
ing  in  the  great  world,  and  his  confederate  was  also  a 
gentleman,  if  appearances  mean  anything.  It  made  it 
all  the  worse  that  at  the  very  moment  when  the  con 
temptible  action  was  committed,  the  old  man  had  laid 
his  hand  affectionately  upon  his  young  friend's  shoul 
der  and  was  looking  smilingly  into  his  eyes.  It  was 
treachery,  then,  and  black  and  base  as  treachery  must 
ever  be. 

Again  the  picture  seemed  to  unroll  itself  before  my 
eyes,  and  that  haunting,  wistful  face  looked  out  at  me 
from  the  flickering  screen.  Evil  had  been  abroad  ; 
could  it  have  concerned  her  ?  And  then,  in  a  sud 
den  revulsion  of  feeling,  I  gave  over  the  whole  thing. 
Whatever  had  happened,  it  was  no  concern  of  mine, 
and  never  could  be.  Moreover,  it  was  quite  likely  that 

9 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

the  picture  had  been  taken  one,  two,  even  three  years 
back.  The  story,  whatever  it  was,  had  been  marked 
finis  long  ago.  I  was  only  making  an  idiot  of  myself; 
and  all  the  clocks  were  striking  three.  I  would  com 
pel  myself  to  sleep ;  there  were  the  sheep  jumping 
over  the  fence — fifty-two,  fifty-three,  fifty-four — 


CHAPTER   II 

THE  "AGONY  COLUMN" 

[ITH  the  general  run  of  my  acquaint 
ances,  I  am  set  down  as  a  sober -sided 
individual,  not  exactly  dull,  but  still  one 
of  the  last  to  be  invited  when  it  is  a  ques 
tion  of  lively  company.  Certainly,  no 
one  would  suspect  me  of  cherishing  any  hidden  fires 
of  romance  in  my  mature  breast,  and,  to  tell  the  truth, 
I  have  lost  most  of  my  illusions.  Perhaps  I  ought  to 
be  grateful  to  golf  that  I  have  not  wholly  degener 
ated  into  the  prosaic  role  of  looker-on.  As  for  the 
rest,  you  have  it  in  the  fewest  possible  words : 

Nicholas  Gary,  unmarried,  assistant  editor  of  the 
New  World  Review,  and  a  clubman  in  a  moderate 
way.  I  live  in  a  suburban  town  for  the  sake  of  the 
golf,  which  is  really  very  good,  and,  incidentally,  I 
thereby  avoid  jury  duty  in  the  city.  My  editorial 
work  through  the  day,  as  much  of  golf  as  I  can  work 
in  during  these  long  June  afternoons,  and  a  pipe  and 
Balzac  for  the  evening.  Routine?  Well,  yes;  but  it 
is  a  pleasant  one,  and  I  am  used  to  it.  After  one  is 
fairly  in  the  harness,  it  is  the  better  plan  to  draw 
ahead  steadily.  A  stop  simply  means  that  the  dead 
load  must  be  started  again. 

In  confidence,  however,  I  am  not  always  resigned 
to  resting  quietly  in  my  little  corner  and  watching 
the  world  go  by.  After  all,  I  am  only  part  way  in 

ii 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

my  third  decade,  and  there  are  moments  when  I  seem 
to  catch  again  the  echoes  of  a  larger  life.  The  in 
flections  in  a  woman's  voice,  the  green  and  gold  riot 
of  April  meadows,  the  west  wind  among  the  pines; 
these  are  small  things,  but  at  times  they  seem  to 
make  up  the  sum  of  all  that  there  is  in  life.  Then  I 
recollect  that  my  Spain  is  already  overcrowded  with 
castles,  and  I  go  out  and  play  golf.  Contentment  is 
a  great  thing,  say  the  philosophers — some  would  af 
firm  that  it  is  the  greatest  of  all.  Perhaps  they  are 
right.  I  try  to  think  so,  and  I  was  flattering  myself 
that  I  had  succeeded  pretty  well.  But  that  was  before 
I  had  strayed  into  Vincent's  Gallery  to  kill  half  an 
hour  of  time.  Now  I  am  not  so  sure. 

I  began  sensibly  enough,  when  I  had  a  chance  to 
think  everything  over  in  the  clear  light  of  day.  I 
told  myself  decidedly  that  any  further  interest  that  I 
might  choose  to  take  in  "  Mademoiselle  Incognita," 
"  Fur  Coat,"  and  the  others,  must  be  purely  analytic 
in  its  nature.  Here  was  a  problem  to  be  solved,  a 
question  to  be  answered:  was  it  worth  my  while  to 
bother  with  them?  The  decision  was  not  one  that 
could  be  given  off-hand,  and  I  had  to  take  the  puzzle 
with  me  to  the  office,  where  it  continued  to  obtrude 
its  absurd  claims  for  an  undivided  hearing  upon  my 
harassed  inner  consciousness.  And  it  was  "  make 
up"  day,  too !  I  finally  decided  that  I  would  stroll 
up  to  the  gallery  at  five  o'clock  and  have  a  talk  with 
the  voluble  young  man  who  acts  as  lecturer.  Per 
haps  I  may  take  another  look  at  the  picture,  perhaps 
not;  it  is  impossible  to  determine  upon  everything  so 
long  in  advance. 

The  young  gentleman  was  most  polite,  but  he 
could  tell  me  very  little.  That  particular  picture  of 
the  Calais  mail-packet  ?  Yes,  he  knew  it  very  well — 
an  excellent  example  of  the  perfection  of  cinemato- 

12 


I  HAD  TO  TAKE  THE  I'L'/ZLE  WITH  ME  TO  THE  OFFICE" 


THE    "AGONY    COLUMN" 

graphic  work  under  the  new  process  of  manufacture. 
The  picture  had  been  on  the  programme  but  two 
nights;  it  had  just  been  received,  with  a  number  of 
other  films,  from  the  London  office  of  the  company. 

What  was  the  date  of  the  original  record?  As  to 
that  he  could  not  say.  Perhaps  the  people  in  the 
London  office  might  be  willing  to  supply  the  desired 
information.  Here  was  their  address,  if  I  wished  to 
communicate  with  them:  31  Grace  Court,  Temple 
Avenue,  East  City. 

It  was  what  I  had  expected.  So  I  thanked  the  young 
man,  and  took  a  seat  for  the  performance  that  was 
about  to  begin.  There  was  a  chance  that  I  might 
have  overlooked  some  detail,  small  in  itself,  and  yet 
important  in  its  bearing  upon  the  mystery.  And, 
first,  as  to  the  approximate  date  of  the  occurrence. 

Reluctantly  I  came  to  the  conclusion  that  there 
was  nothing  in  the  picture  that  could  enable  me  to 
fix  upon  this  first  element  of  my  working  hypothesis; 
it  was  not  even  certain  that  the  record  had  been 
made  during  the  present  year,  1899.  The  practical 
use  of  the  cinematograph  dated  back  half  a  dozen 
years,  and  the  celluloid  films  could  be  made  up  at 
any  time,  and  used  for  an  indefinite  period.  Judg 
ing  from  the  heavy  clothing  worn  by  the  actors  in 
the  scene,  the  time  of  year  was  probably  winter  or 
early  spring.  But  the  Channel  trip  is  usually  an  in 
clement  one,  and  a  fur  coat  might  be  comfortable 
enough  so  late  as  April,  or  even  so  early  as  October. 

An  inspiration  !  The  affiche  upon  the  newspaper  bul 
letin-board  ?  I  could  read  the  big  black  letters  plainly : 
"Cambridge  Wins  !"  and  the  announcement  could  re 
fer  only  to  the  annual  boat-race  between  the  rival 
universities.  I  follow  all  sport  with  interest,  and  I 
now  recollected  that  the  Light  Blue  had  indeed  won 
in  April  of  the  present  year.  The  exact  date  I  could 

13 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

get  easily  enough  from  a  newspaper-file.  Moreover, 
if  I  were  not  mistaken,  it  was  the  only  victory  for  the 
Cantabs  in  several  years.  If  so,  I  had  my  first  step. 

Jones  of  the  Planet  is  an  old  friend,  and  the  files  of 
the  paper  were  entirely  at  my  service.  Eagerly  I  ran 
them  down.  Ah,  here  it  was  at  last !  I  was  right  in 
my  recollection  of  the  event  ;  Cambridge  had  beaten 
Oxford  on  March  25th,  in  the  comparatively  slow  time 
of  twenty-one  minutes  and  four  seconds.  At  the  bot 
tom  of  the  cable  despatch  was  printed  a  summary  of 
the  annual  race,  running  back  to  1876.  Oxford's  un 
broken  string  of  victories  had  but  just  come  to  an 
end;  Cambridge  had  won  in  1899  for  the  first  time 
since  1889. 

This  established  the  date  beyond  a  question.  It 
was  absolutely  certain,  then,  that  the  camera  had  made 
its  interesting  record  upon  the  afternoon  of  March  , 
25th  of  this  present  year,  and  of  course  the  scene  of 
the  occurrence  was  already  known  to  me.  To-day 
was  the  xoth  of  June,  or  only  ten  weeks  later,  and  it 
was  quite  possible  that  the  drama  at  which  I  had  been 
so  strangely  invited  to  assist  was  only  just  beginning. 
I  had  my  first  step,  but  it  conducted  to  a  path  that 
led  far  away  from  the  quiet  round  of  my  daily  life. 
Should  I  stop  now  at  the  parting  of  the  ways,  or 
should  I  go  on?  Prudence,  common -sense  —  there 
could  be  no  doubt  as  to  what  they  would  advise.  Let 
Nicholas  Gary  stick  to  his  Balzac  and  to  his  golf,  and 
be  content  to  continue  in  the  quiet  and  respectable 
station  of  life  into  which  it  has  pleased  God  to  call 
him.  There  are  worse  blunders  in  life  than  an  error 
in  a  proof-sheet,  more  serious  annoyances  than  the 
losing  of  a  ball  when  the  match  is  all  square  at  the 
eighteenth  tee. 

If  I  stopped  now — well,  life  would  go  on  much  as  it 
has  done  for  a  dozen  years  past.  I  might  want  some- 


THE    "AGONY    COLUMN" 

thing  more,  but  I  should  be  a  fool  to  expect  it.  Bodies 
in  a  state  of  equilibrium  are  not  to  be  lightly  dis 
turbed. 

To  go  on,  did  I  say  ?  After  all,  was  I  so  sure  that 
the  road  lay  clear  before  me  ?  With  everything 
summed  up,  I  knew  nothing  definite  except  the  date 
of  an  inexplicable  incident  happening  in  a  foreign 
country,  and  now  two  months  old.  If  this  was  my 
first  step,  it  had  landed  me  up  against  a  blind  wall. 

Now  it  may  not  be  possible  to  force  one's  way 
through  solid  brick  and  mortar,  but  over  some  walls 
it  is  possible  to  climb.  Had  I  really  seen  everything 
that  the  picture  had  to  show  me  ?  Now  that  I  re 
called  the  scene  in  minutest  detail,  a  vague  impres 
sion  forced  itself  upon  me  that  "  Pompadour  "  had 
said  something  to  my  friend  of  the  fur  coat  just  as 
the  latter  left  him  to  go  aboard  the  steamer.  I  re 
membered  that  "  Pompadour's  "  face  had  been  turned 
full  to  the  camera,  and  I  had  certainly  noticed  his  lips 
moving.  What  a  pity  that  the  cinematograph  could 
not  combine  the  records  of  sound  and  of  spoken  words 
with  its  marvellous  reproductions  of  life  and  motion. 
How  immensely  the  perfected  appliance  of  the  phono 
graph  would  add  to  the  interest  of  even  the  ordinary, 
matter-of-fact  cinematographic  picture.  The  rattle 
of  the  approaching  train,  the  roar  of  the  green  water 
rushing  into  Niagara's  abyss,  the  laughter  of  chil 
dren  at  play — the  possibilities  are  endless.  Fascinat 
ing  dream,  for  both  kinetoscope  and  phonograph  must 
still  be  rated  as  toys,  imperfect  and  undeveloped. 

I  had  stepped  in  at  the  club  after  my  visit  to  the 
Planet  office,  and  it  was  time  to  start  for  my  train  if  I 
intended  to  keep  my  engagement  in  Lauriston  that 
evening — nothing  less  than  the  annual  meeting  of  the 
Marion  County  Golf  Club.  And  yet  I  suddenly  de 
cided  that  I  would  dine  in  town  and  perhaps  spend 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

the  evening  at  the  theatre.  After  all,  the  club  meet 
ing  was  of  no  particular  importance,  and  they  could 
get  their  quorum  without  me.  I  would  stay,  and  I 
did. 

It  was  perhaps  unavoidable  that  on  my  way  to  the 
theatre  I  should  have  to  pass  by  Vincent's,  and  with 
half  an  hour  to  spare  there  could  be  no  harm  in  drop 
ping  in  to  satisfy  myself  about  that  crumb  of  conver 
sation  between  my  two  suspects.  In  all  probability 
I  should  be  left  as  much  in  the  dark  as  ever,  but  there 
was  a  chance  that  I  might  run  across  some  morsel  of 
fresh  food  for  speculation.  It  was  an  unhealthy  kind 
of  diet  that  I  craved,  but  such  are  among  the  conse 
quences  that  follow  upon  the  eating  of  forbidden 
fruit.  I  hesitated  for  perhaps  half  a  minute,  and  then 
found  my  way  into  the  familiar  concert-hall. 

With  a  keen  sense  of  disappointment,  I  realized 
that  the  record  of  the  phonograph  would  have  been 
useless  to  me,  even  if  one  had  been  made.  "  Pompa 
dour  "  had  indeed  said  something  to  "  Fur  Coat "  as 
the  latter  passed  him,  but  the  words  had  been  spoken 
in  a  whisper  ;  that  was  plain  enough  from  the  expres 
sion  of  their  faces  and  the  constraint  of  their  at 
titudes.  A  dozen  of  Mr.  Edison's  machines  might 
have  been  clicking  away  within  a  dozen  feet,  and  not 
one  of  them  would  have  caught  a  single  word.  It 
must  be  remembered  too  that  the  noise  and  con 
fusion  attending  the  departure  of  the  steamer  would 
have  rendered  even  ordinary  conversation  inaudible. 
The  secret  would  have  been  safe  had  I  in  person  been 
standing  on  Dover  pier  that  gloomy  March  afternoon. 
Too  bad !  but  I  must  give  up  the  problem  ;  it  has  be 
come  impossible. 

"  Nothing  is  impossible,  since  the  first  Napoleon  was 
good  enough  to  erase  the  word  from  the  dictionaries." 

It  was  Murchison  who  had  answered  my  inaudible 
16 


THE   "AGONY    COLUMN" 

confession  of  checkmate  ;  he  must  have  entered  the 
hall  some  time  before  and  quietly  slipped  into  the  va 
cant  chair  at  my  side. 

I  am  very  fond  of  Murchison,  for  lie  was  a  class 
mate  of  mine  at  college  and  a  good  fellow  in  every 
way.  It  was  an  odd  sort  of  business  into  which  he 
drifted  after  leaving  "  Old  Nassau."  He  plays  the 
organ  at  a  deaf-and-dumb  asylum — could  anything  be 
more  ridiculous?  But,  then,  he  is  an  assistant-master 
in  the  institution,  and  the  organ  -  playing  is  merely 
incidental  to  the  daily  religious  services.  There  are 
a  number  of  normally  constituted  people  on  the  asy 
lum  staff  who  can  appreciate  his  skill,  and  Murchison 
tells  me  that  the  unfortunate  children  themselves 
derive  an  evident  though  incomprehensible  pleasure 
from  the  music  that  they  cannot  hear. 

Murchison  takes  an  intense  interest  in  his  pro 
fession,  which  is  quite  as  it  should  be,  and  he  has 
become  proficient  in  all  its  technical  details.  To  the 
lay  mind  it  seems  incredible  that  these  afflicted  chil 
dren  can  be  taught  to  articulate  intelligibly  without 
ever  having  heard  a  spoken  word.  But  the  miracle 
is,  in  fact,  accomplished,  and  the  old  deaf-and-dumb 
finger  alphabet  holds  but  a  secondary  place  in  the 
modern  system.  The  deaf  mutes  learn  to  articulate,  me 
chanically,  the  inflections  of  the  human  voice,  and  they 
are  also  able  to  understand  what  another  person  is 
saying  by  reading  the  motions  of  the  lips.  Each 
phonetic  syllable  has  its  corresponding  visible  symbol, 
and  with  practice  one  may  distinguish  them  all  with 
absolute  certainty.  It  is  this  last  that  seems  so  won 
derful  tome;  but  Murchison  declares  that  the  "read 
ing"  is  a  small  thing  compared  to  the  acquirement  of 
the  mechanically  produced  articulation.  As  he  once 
remarked  when  we  were  discussing  the  subject : 
"Any  one  can  pick  up  lip-reading;  I  find  myself 
B  17 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

doing  it  constantly,  even  when  talking  with  normally 
constituted  people  like  yourself.  Where  you,  in  ear 
nest  conversation  with  a  friend,  fix  your  attention 
upon  his  eyes,  I  look  at  his  lips.  It  keeps  me  in  prac 
tice,  and,  anyway,  it  has  come  to  be  a  habit." 

This  little  lecture  of  Murchison's  comes  to  my 
mind  as  I  turn  to  greet  him.  If  lip-reading  is  really 
so  easy,  why  should  he  not  be  able  to  interpret  for 
me  the  whispered  secrets  of  "  Fur  Coat  "  and  "  Pom 
padour  "?  I  could  put  it  to  him  as  a  test  of  skill,  and 
without  betraying  my  especial  interest  in  the  solu 
tion  of  the  mystery. 

I  did  put  the  problem  to  Murchison,  and,  as  I  had 
expected,  he  was  immediately  interested  by  the  sug 
gestion.  It  was  a  challenge  to  his  professional  skill, 
and  he  would  succeed  if  any  one  could. 

And  yet  the  experiment  was  an  utter  failure ; 
Murchison  was  not  able  to  distinguish  a  single  syl 
lable.  He  ascribed  his  non-success  to  the  constant 
flickering  of  the  picture.  The  clock-work  mechanism 
of  the  cinematograph  is  far  from  perfect,  and  the 
pulsing  light  distorts  and  destroys  the  delicate  con 
tinuity  of  action  upon  which  everything  depends.  We 
tried  it  again  upon  the  third  and  final  exhibition  of 
the  pictures,  but  again  we  failed. 

And  then  I  had  another  inspiration.  Perhaps  the 
film  itself  may  show  what  is  lost  in  the  illuminated 
enlargement  upon  the  screen.  The  people  at  Vin 
cent's  have  come  to  look  upon  me  as  a  regular  patron 
of  their  establishment,  and  I  found  no  difficulty  in 
getting  permission  to  inspect  the  celluloid  roll  that 
contained  the  scene  on  Dover  pier. 

Murchison  and  I  examined  the  roll  together,  and 
found  it  to  be  a  long  strip  of  celluloid  film  contain 
ing  some  three  thousand  tiny  photographs.  The 
pictures  were  hardly  half  an  inch  square,  and  the 

18 


THE   "AGONY    COLUMN" 

prospect  of  getting  anything  definite  was  not  encour 
aging. 

"A  magnifying  glass,"  suggested  Murchison,  and 
the  idea  seemed  worth  trying. 

A  large  reading-glass  was  procured,  and  we  set  to 
work,  confining  our  attention,  of  course,  to  that  por 
tion  of  the  film  upon  which  "  Pompadour's"  whis 
pered  remark  had  been  recorded. 

"  I  seem  to  get  something,"  said  Murchison,  after 
several  minutes  of  close  study,  "  but  it's  rank  gibber 
ish,  after  all.  Just  listen  :  '  May — song — shone — ruder 
— on  ' — what  on  earth  can  that  mean  ?  I'm  not  certain, 
either,  that  I  have  read  all  the  symbols  correctly — 
they  certainly  don't  make  sense.  'Song  of  May' — 
'  May  song,'  or  it  may  be  something  about  a  mason 
— I  give  it  up." 

"  Hold  on,  Murchison.  Just  repeat  the  syllables  as 
you  read  them  without  trying  to  form  them  into 
words.  Don't  think  of  what  they  ought  to  mean — 
the  sound  itself  is  what  I  want.  That's  it — '  May — 
songh — zhone  ' —  Stop  !  '  Maison  jaune,'  or  the  yellow 
house.  It  isn't  English  at  all,  Murchison,  it's  French  ! 
No  wonder  that  you  couldn't  make  it  out.  '  The  yel 
low  house,'  and  the  rest  is  easy  enough,  for  your 
'  ruder  on  '  plainly  refers  to  its  situation  —  Rue  de 
Rennes.  And  the  whole  sentence  is  simply,  '(The) 
yellow  house  (in)  the  Rue  de  Rennes.'" 

Murchison  received  my  compliments  upon  his  skill 
with  becoming  modesty,  but  refused  my  invitation  to 
share  a  Welsh  rabbit  over  at  the  Studio.  He  had  an 
other  engagement,  and  I  was  obliged  to  eat  my  sup 
per  alone.  I  improved  the  opportunity  by  setting 
down  in  order  the  results  of  my  investigations. 

Imprimis :  A  crime  has  been  committed  upon 
March  25th  of  this  present  year  (1899),  the  scene 
being  the  Dover  pier  of  the  mail  route  between  Eng- 

19 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

land  and  France,  and  the  principal  actors,  a  well- 
dressed  man,  of  say  five -and -twenty,  and  a  middle- 
aged  man  of  soldierly  appearance,  who  wears  his  hair 
a  la  pompadour .  The  victim  is  an  elderly  gentleman, 
and  one-armed,  the  left  being  the  missing  member. 
The  object  taken  from  his  despatch-box  cannot  be 
described,  except  to  say  that  it  is  about  the  size  of  a 
lemon.  The  appointed  rendezvous  of  the  thieves  is  a 
house  known  as  the  "  yellow  one,"  and  situated  on 
the  Rue  de  Rennes.  The  latter  is  a  well-known  street 
in  Paris,  and  belongs  to  the  rive  gauche,  if  I  remember 
correctly.  And  that  is  all. 

Step  by  step  and  already  the  next  one  is  before  me. 
The  waiter  had  offered  me  a  copy  of  the  Herald  with 
which  to  amuse  myself  while  my  order  was  being 
filled.  An  item  in  the  personal  column  caught  my 
eye: 

"  A  package  of  valuable  papers — liberal  reward — no  ques 
tions  asked." 

Precisely  !  Here  is  the  echo  of  an  occurrence  not 
unlike  to  the  one  in  which  I  am  interested.  Why 
should  not  my  old  gentleman  have  advertised  his  loss? 
If  he  did,  there  is  but  one  medium  for  him,  the  "Agony 
Column"  of  the  London  Times. 

I  pay  for  my  supper  without  waiting  to  eat  it,  and 
in  half  an  hour  I  am  again  at  the  Planet  office.  The 
files  of  the  "  Thunderer  "  are  placed  before  me,  and  I 
begin  my  search.  Half-way  down  the  column  in  the 
issue  of  April  ist  is  the  following: 

"  LOST  :  On  Saturday  the  twenty-fifth  ult.,  on  the  landing- 
stage  at  Dover,  and  just  before  the  departure  of  the  mail-boat, 
a  small  parcel  enclosed  in  a  chamois-leather  bag.  The  finder 
is  requested  to  communicate,  in  strict  confidence,  with  Mr. 
Smith,  Numero  dix-huit,  Rue  d'Alger,  Paris." 

20 


CHAPTER  III 

THE   TOSS   OF   A   COIN 

DOZEN  times  I  have  read  and  reread 
"  Mr.  Smith's "  advertisement  in  the 
Times,  and  I  am  still  undecided  as  to  my 
proper  course  in  the  matter.  I  am  positive 
that  the  "personal"  refers  to  my  affair, 
and  while  I  cannot  absolutely  identify  the  "  small  parcel 
enclosed  in  a  chamois-leather  bag/'  I  am  morally 
confident  that  it  is  the  article  which  I  saw  purloined 
by  "  M.  le  Fur  Coat"  and  handed  over  to  the  keeping 
of  "  M.  Pompadour."  The  word  "  lost,"  by -the -way, 
means  nothing;  the  expression  is  the  natural  one 
which  would  be  employed  under  the  circumstances  of 
the  packet's  disappearance.  It  is  more  than  probable 
that  the  old  gentleman  has  harbored  no  suspicion  of 
foul  play,  and  least  of  all  towards  the  thief  himself. 
They  are  friends,  and  the  very  thought  would  be  im 
possible. 

And  so  the  article  has  been  advertised  as  lost,  and 
lost  it  is  indeed.  I  myself  know  nothing  more  than 
that  it  was  immediately  conveyed  into  the  confeder 
ate's  keeping  and  an  appointment  made  for  a  future 
meeting.  Supposing  that  I  communicated  by  letter 
with  "  Mr.  Smith,"  would  I  be  justified  in  making  so 
serious  a  charge  against  the  honor  of  his  friend,  un 
less,  indeed,  I  could  adduce  some  kind  of  corroboratory 
evidence?  I  might  tell  the  simple  story  of  what  I  had 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

discovered  in  the  cinematographic  picture,  but  could 
I  make  the  story  so  clear  in  detail  that  the  reader 
would  see  with  my  eyes?  And,  finally,  would  "Mr. 
Smith  "  be  willing,  in  so  serious  a  matter,  to  accept 
anything  but  the  evidence  of  his  own  senses  ?  My 
unsupported  romance  would  be  instantly  discredited, 
my  impertinent  communication  would  be  deservedly 
ignored.  I  will  drop  the  thing  once  and  for  all. 

Thursday,  June  i^th. — F^r  two  days  I  have  been 
trying  to  put  this  wretched  business  out  of  mind, 
but  it  is  impossible  ;  the  feeling  grows  stronger  and 
stronger  that  I  ought  to  do  something.  There  is 
more  than  mere  vulgar  pocket-picking  in  this  affair 
— of  that  I  am  certain — and  as  an  honest  man  I 
cannot  stand  idly  aloof.  The  innocent  may  be 
suffering  through  my  silence.  She  —  but  there!  my 
thoughts  are  always  running  back  to  the  woman,  and 
I  had  determined  that  my  interest  in  the  matter 
should  be  strictly  impersonal.  And  yet,  after  all,  the 
first  link  in  the  chain  was  that  fleeting  glance  at  a 
girl's  face.  Had  she  not  looked  back  at  that  one 
moment,  I  should  have  seen  nothing  more  in  the 
picture  than  what  was  revealed  to  the  ordinary  spec 
tator.  Moreover,  having  seen  it  once,  I  should  have 
consulted  my  watch  again  and  caught  my  train  for 
Lauriston. 

But  what  avail  to  talk  of  "  ifs  "?  The  fact  remains 
that  she  did  look  back,  and  so  all  the  rest  follows. 
The  drama  whose  prologue  was  acted  out  upon  the 
pier  at  Dover  has  already  included  me  in  its  list  of 
characters,  and,  speaking  part  or  walking  gentleman, 
as  the  case  may  be,  I  have  no  choice  but  to  respond 
to  the  summons  of  the  prompter's  bell.  I  have  an 
odd  consciousness  that  my  fellow  -  actors  are  even 
now  waiting  for  my  appearance,  so  that  the  curtain 
may  be  rung  up  for  Act  the  first. 

22 


THE    TOSS    OF    A    COIN 

It  is  an  idea — worth  attempting,  at  any  rate.  If  1 
could  secure  from  Vincent's  the  celluloid  film  of  that 
particular  picture,  I  might  forward  it  to  "Mr.  Smith" 
as  evidence  of  good  faith  in  my  written  story.  He 
could  draw  his  own  conclusions,  and  I  should  have 
no  further  responsibility  in  the  matter.  And  I  should 
have  done  my  duty.  I  will  try  it. 

The  people  at  Vincent's  were  most  polite,  but  they 
absolutely  declined  to  part  with  any  of  their  cine 
matographic  rolls.  Perhaps  they  have  a  price,  but 
it  is  evidently  beyond  the  resources  of  my  check 
book,  and  of  course  I  cannot  give  the  true  explana 
tion  of  what  must  appear  to  be  a  preposterous 
whim.  The  manager,  however,  suggests  that  the 
London  office  of  the  company  keep  all  the  duplicate 
films  in  stock,  and  they  may  be  willing  to  treat  with 
me  if  assured  that  I  was  not  a  business  rival.  Their 
address  was  31  Grace  Court,  Temple  Avenue,  East 
City,  The  Consolidated  Amusement  Company,  Ltd. 

Friday,  June  i^tk. — If  I  send  a  letter  by  the  Saturday 
mail-steamer  it  will  take  fully  three  weeks  for  the  an 
swer  to  come  back  to  me.  Even  assuming  that  the 
reply  is  favorable,  and  I  secure  the  coveted  film,  it 
will  mean  a  further  delay  of  ten  days  before  I  can 
count  upon  its  being  delivered  to  "  Mr.  Smith "  in 
Paris.  It  would  be  the  latter  part  of  July  before  I 
could  look  upon  my  duty  as  accomplished.  What 
might  not  happen  in  those  four  or  five  weeks  ? 

Well,  I  can  make  my  disclosure  in  person  by  taking 
a  flying  trip  across  to  London  and  Paris.  I  have  been 
saving  up  my  vacations  now  for  a  couple  of  years,  and 
the  chief  will  readily  grant  me  leave  of  absence  for 
four  weeks.  If  I  go  myself  I  can  probably  make  a 
better  bargain  with  the  London  people,  and,  indeed, 
it  is  doubtful  if  anything  but  a  personal  interview  will 
assure  success  in  the  negotiations.  With  the  precious 

23 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

film  once  in  my  possession,  I  can  run  over  to  Paris, 
deliver  my  message  and  evidence  to  "  Mr.  Smith," 
and  be  quit  of  any  further  responsibility  in  the  mat 
ter.  That  will  leave  me  nearly  a  week  for  sight 
seeing  ;  and,  as  I  have  never  been  abroad,  the  trip 
should  be  a  pleasant  one.  The  Etmria  sails  to 
morrow  at  ten  o'clock.  The  passenger-list  is  probably 
full  up,  but  I  can  squeeze  in  somewhere — there  is  al 
ways  a  somebody  who  fails  at  the  last  moment  to 
claim  his  berth. 

On  the  other  hand,  Murchison  and  I  had  been  plan 
ning  a  golfing  pilgrimage  among  the  various  Eastern 
clubs,  and  only  this  morning  he  had  telephoned  me 
that  all  the  arrangements  had  been  made  and  that  I 
should  meet  him  at  the  Grand  Central  Station  on 
Monday  morning  in  time  for  the  ten  -  o'clock  ex 
press.  It  would  be  too  bad  to  disappoint  him  and 
myself  as  well,  and,  really,  I  am  under  no  sort  of  obli 
gation  to  test  this  extremely  doubtful  hypothesis  at 
the  expense  of  my  personal  convenience  and  rather 
slender  bank  account.  It  is  more  than  probable  that 
the  incident  of  two  months  back  has  been  closed  long 
ago,  and  I  should  be  a  fool  to  attempt  reopening  it. 
I  ought  to  take  the  common-sense  business-like  view 
of  the  situation,  and  its  romantic  possibilities  should 
have  no  weight  whatever  in  my  decision.  Nicholas 
Gary  must  be  sensible  and  remember  that  the  pot  of 
gold  at  the  foot  of  the  rainbow  arch  is  farther  away 
than  it  looks.  If  I  write  to  the  Consolidated  Amuse 
ment  Company  in  London,  and  try  to  strike  a  bargain 
with  them,  I  shall  have  done  all  that  can  reasonably 
be  expected  of  me.  This  is  certainly  the  common- 
sense,  the  business-like  view  of  the  situation. 

Fortified  with  this  praiseworthy  determination,  I 
telegraph  to  Murchison  that  I  will  be  on  hand  Mon 
day,  and  apply  myself  with  renewed  energy  to  my  work. 

24 


THE    TOSS    OF    A    COIN 

And  then,  twenty  minutes  afterwards,  I  pull  out  my 
lucky  half-dollar  and  study  it  attentively.  It  is  sim 
ply  impossible  for  me  to  attempt  to  settle  such  a 
question  by  the  light  of  pure  reason.  Since  it  is  all 
a  matter  of  blind  chance,  let  chance  itself  give  the 
decision.  Heads,  London  ;  tails,  the  Grand  Central 
Station. 

The  coin  spun  in  the  air  and  fell — tails  up.  But  in 
falling  to  the  floor  it  had  struck  upon  its  edge  in  a 
crack;  the  toss  was  unfair,  and  should  not  count. 
Again  it  was  tossed,  and  again  tails  showed  up.  Well, 
twice  out  of  three  times  is  the  infallible  test.  Fortune 
must  be  permitted  to  show  her  mind  unmistakably. 

Once  more,  then,  and  for  the  third  time  it  is  tails. 
It  is  a  pure  waste  of  time  to  coquette  longer  with 
Fate;  the  jade  is  plainly  out  of  sorts  and  not  amena 
ble  to  reason. 

At  the  Cunard  office  I  am  informed  that  an  upper 
inside  berth  is  at  my  disposal.  A  small  deposit  will 
secure  it,  and  I  have  until  ten  o'clock  to-morrow  morn 
ing  to  come  to  a  final  decision  with  my  vacillating 
inner  man. 

Saturday,  June  i6th. — It  is  high  noon,  and  the 
Etruria  is  steaming  abreast  of  the  Scotland  lightship 
and  plunging  her  sharp  bow  into  the  yeasty  tumble 
of  a  "  sou'easter."  I  recollect,  with  some  annoyance, 
that  my  hasty  note  of  explanation  to  Murchison  is 
still  safely  buttoned  up  in  an  inside  pocket;  and  the 
pilot  went  over  the  side  not  ten  minutes  ago.  It  is 
too  bad;  what  will  Murchison  think  of  me? 


CHAPTER   IV 

"  MR.    SMITH  "    CHEZ   LUI 

)-DAY  is  Tuesday  the  26th  of  June,  and, 
having  left  London  at  nine  o'clock  by  the 
day  express,  we  are  due  in  Paris  at  five. 
Through  the  windows  of  the  second-class 
carriage  I  can  see  that  the  country  is 
rapidly  taking  on  the  familiar  features  that  charac 
terize  the  suburbs  of  great  cites;  in  half  an  hour  I 
shall  be  in  the  French  capital. 

So  far,  so  good,  for  I  had  been  able  to  make  a  sat 
isfactory  bargain  with  The  Consolidated  Amusement 
Company  of  London,  and  the  interesting  roll  of  cellu 
loid  film  is  safely  stowed  away  in  my  Gladstone  bag. 
Now  that  I  have  my  evidence,  I  feel  certain  that  my 
business  with  "  Mr.  Smith  "'will  be  quickly  despatched. 
I  shall  tell  my  story  as  simply  as  I  can,  and  then  pro 
duce  the  cinematographic  roll  as  ocular  demonstra 
tion  of  my  good  faith.  "  Mr.  Smith  "  can  believe  or 
not  as  he  pleases,  but  he  can  hardly  doubt  the  sincer 
ity  of  my  friendly  offices,  and  he  should  be  properly 
grateful  for  them.  He  may  even  invite  me  to  stay  to 
dinner,  but  I  shall  refuse;  my  services  up  to  this 
point  have  been  so  purely  disinterested  that  it  would 
be  a  pity  to  color  them  even  by  a  shade  of  self  -  seek 
ing.  Having  placed  "Mr.  Smith"  under  a  crushing 
sense  of  obligation,  I  shall  bow  and  retire.  A  couple 
of  days  in  which  to  glance  at  Paris,  and  then  to  Scot- 

?6 


"MR.    SMITH"  CHEZ    LUI 

land  and  St.  Andrews,  always  remembering  that  I 
must  be  at  Liverpool  by  Saturday,  July  yth,  in  time 
to  claim  my  berth  on  the  Lucania,  sailing  for  New 
York  that  afternoon.  Otherwise  I  cannot  get  back 
within  the  limits  of  my  four  weeks'  vacation,  and 
the  work  will  be  piling  up  steadily  on  my  desk.  And 
the  chief  is  a  particular  person. 

Speaking  of  vacations  brings  up  the  shameful  re 
membrance  that  I  have  still  neglected  to  write  to 
Murchison  ;  in  decency  I  ought  to  send  him  a  cable. 
But  apologies  at  twenty-five  cents  a  word  are  an  ex 
pensive  luxury,  and  I  shall  be  back  in  New  York  al 
most  as  soon  as  a  letter  can  reach  him.  After  all, 
Murchison  is  a  good  fellow,  and  he  will  forgive  me 
for  keeping  him  waiting  for  so  long  at  the  Grand 
Central  Station.  Now  that  I  think  of  it,  there  is 
literally  nobody  who  is  acquainted  with  my  present 
whereabouts.  I  did  not  think  it  necessary  to  make 
a  confidant  of  any  one  at  the  office,  and  I  have  no  im 
mediate  family,  with  the  exception  of  a  married  sis 
ter,  who  happens  to  be  travelling  in  California.  I 
have  simply  dropped  out  of  sight  for  three  or  four 
weeks,  and  it  will  be  time  enough  to  explain  when  I 
choose  to  reappear.  So  long  as  I  am  at  my  desk  by 
Monday,  July  i6th,  it  is  nobody's  business  where  I 
am  or  what  I  may  be  doing.  But,  of  course,  I  do 
owe  Murchison  an  apology,  and  it  shall  be  a  hand 
some  one  — the  best  travelling-bag  that  money  can 
buy  in  London. 

More  brick  and  mortar,  and  finally  an  interminable 
railway  yard  shut  in  by  lofty  buildings.  The  train 
slackens  speed,  and  sways  in  and  out  over  innumer 
able  points  ;  the  guards  fling  open  the  doors  of  the 
carriages,  and  a  uniformed  porter  appears  at  the 
step.  We  have  arrived — this  is  the  Gare  du  Nord, 
and  Paris. 

27 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

I  installed  myself  at  a  small  hotel  not  far  away 
from  the  fashionable  quarter,  and  having  hastily  re 
moved  the  obvious  stains  of  travel,  I  looked  at  my 
watch  and  considered.  It  was  half  after  six,  and  the 
Rue  d'Alger  was  but  a  few  minutes'  walk.  Would  it 
not  be  wise  to  stroll  down  there  immediately  and  en 
deavor  to  see  "  Mr.  Smith,"  or  at  least  arrange  for  an 
interview  to-morrow?  The  sooner  the  business  is 
over  with  the  better,  and  at  this  hour  of  the  day  I 
should  be  pretty  sure  of  finding  him  at  home.  Yes ; 
I  will  go. 

I  have  decided  that  it  will  be  imprudent  to  take 
along  the  cinematographic  record  upon  this  my  pre 
liminary  visit  to  "Mr.  Smith"  chez  lui.  The  Rue 
d'Alger  is  a  quiet  street,  running  from  the  Rivoli  to 
the  Rue  St.-Honore,  and  it  is  more  than  likely  that 
my  "  Mr.  Smith  "  is  a  member  of  the  most  respecta 
ble  society.  For  all  that  my  mission  is  a  delicate 
one,  and  it  will  be  only  discreet  to  know  with  whom 
I  have  to  deal.  If  this  preliminary  interview  is  satis 
factory,  nothing  can  be  easier  than  to  arrange  for  a 
subsequent  meeting,  when  I  can  acquit  myself  of  my 
self-imposed  trust  by  placing  the  evidence  in  the 
proper  hands.  I  hardly  like,  however,  to  leave  the 
precious  record  at  my  room,  nor  do  I  care  to  commit 
it  to  the  keeping  of  mine  host  of  the  Hotel  Marengo. 
A  better  plan  will  be  to  step  in  at  the  office  of  the 
New  York  Herald  and  ask  to  have  the  little  parcel 
put  in  the  safe  and  kept  until  I  can  call  for  it. 

The  clerk  at  the  Herald  office  was  quite  willing  to 
oblige  a  fellow-countryman  in  so  trifling  a  request, 
and  I  made  my  way  to  the  Rue  d'Alger  with  a 
lightened  heart. 

As  I  had  expected,  number  dix-huit  turned  out  to 
be  a  small  hotel,  but  it  is  certainly  all  that  can  be 
desired  in  the  matter  of  appointments.  It  is  presum- 

38 


"MR.    SMITH"    CHEZ    LUI 

ably  affected  by  wealthy  people  of  quiet  tastes,  who 
give  it  a  regular  and  profitable  patronage,  and  the 
proprietor  is  not  obliged  to  worry  himself  over  the 
coming  and  going  of  tourist  and  transient  custom. 
It  corresponds  to  what  in  New  York  is  known  as  the 
family  hotel,  and  for  the  well-to-do  it  solves  the  prob 
lem  of  city  residence  very  pleasantly. 

I  entered  and  inquired  if  a  gentleman  by  the  name 
of  Smith  was  among  the  guests  of  the  house.  The 
good-looking  young  woman  in  the  tiny  office  shook 
her  head,  doubtfully. 

"  Perhaps,  then,  '  Mister  Smith.'  "  I  made  this 
amendment  with  some  hesitation,  but  the  effect  was 
immediate. 

"  Mistaire  Smeeth !  Ah,  yes ;  I  remember  now. 
You  wish  to  see  him?" 

I  offered  my  card,  upon  which  I  had  scribbled  a  few 
words  explaining  that  I  had  called  in  reference  to  an 
advertisement  in  the  London  Times.  With  some 
difficulty  a  servant  was  finally  summoned  and  com 
missioned  to  deliver  my  message,  and  mademoiselle 
was  good  enough  to  provide  me  with  a  chair  while  I 
waited. 

Ridiculous  as  it  may  seem,  I  am  feeling  just  a  tri 
fle  on  edge.  Is  the  game  about  to  begin  at  last  ? 
Hitherto  my  role  has  been  that  of  the  solitaire 
player ;  am  I  now  to  be  invited  to  take  a  seat  at  the 
table,  or  have  the  tricks  been  long  ago  played  out  and 
counted  up?  Well,  I  shall  soon  know;  there  comes 
the  man  at  last. 

"  Will  m'sieu  be  good  enough  to  follow."  "  Mr. 
Smith's  "  apartments  are  au  premier,  and  comprise 
an  extensive  suite  with  a  private  hallway.  I  am  re 
ceived  at  the  private  door  by  a  lackey  and  ushered 
into  a  room  fitted  up  as  a  library.  But  I  have 
hardly  time  to  glance  about  me  before  a  door  at 

29 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

the  farther  end  opens  and  an  elderly  gentleman  en 
ters.  I  rise,  bow,  and  for  a  moment  or  two  we  face 
each  other  in  silence.  It  is  the  salute,  the  prelimi 
nary  courteous  to  the  actual  assault. 

In  one  thing  I  have  the  advantage,  for  I  identify 
"  Mr.  Smith  "  without  hesitation.  The  thin  face  with 
white  mustache  and  imperial,  the  keen  eyes  with 
their  heavy  brows,  the  missing  left  arm;  it  is  he  with 
out  a  doubt,  the  old  man  of  the  little  drama  on  Dover 
pier.  But  it  is  not  my  place  to  speak. 

"  Mr.  Nicholas  Gary — of  London,  may  I  ask  ?"  This 
in  excellent  English. 

"  No  ;  of  New  York." 

"  Ah,  yes  ;  an  American.  It  is  always  a  pleasure  to 
meet  a  citizen  of  the  Great  Republic.  You — ahem — 
have  called — " 

I  take  from  my  pocket-book  my  copy  of  the  Times 
advertisement  and  hand  it  over.  "Am  I  addressing 
Mr.  Smith  ?" 

"  You  may  assume  that  I  am  acting  for  him.  But 
pray  be  seated." 

"  Mr.  Smith  "  adjusts  his  pince-nez,  and  reads  the 
slip  of  paper  with  great  attention.  But  I  can  see 
that  he  is  taking  the  opportunity  of  studying  me  as 
well.  He  looks  up  suddenly. 

"Whatt  is  your  interest  in  this  affair,  Mr.  —  er  — 
Gary?" 

"  Merely  that  of  a  stranger  who  desires  to  render  a 
service.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  I  know  but  little,  and 
that  indirectly,  of  the  transaction." 

"  Transaction  !  Hum  !  That  is  a  curious  term  to 
apply  in  this  connection.  It  is  a  simple  loss  of  which 
this  advertisement  speaks." 

"As  you  please,"  I  answer,  indifferently.  "The 
incident,  then,  occurred  on  March  25th,  the  scene 
being  the  Dover  pier  of  the  mail  route  between  Lon- 

3° 


"MR.    SMITH"    CHEZ    LUI 

don  and  Paris.  You  were  a  passenger,  and  just  be 
fore  the  steamer  sailed  you  lost  a  small  packet  from 
your  despatch-box." 

"  Ah,  it  was  before  the  departure  of  the  boat — that 
is  very  interesting." 

The  old  gentleman  is  assuredly  an  expert  in  the 
art  of  extracting  useful  information,  but  this  is  not 
the  time  to  show  my  hand.  I  owe  it  to  myself  to  go 
no  further  until  I  can  back  up  what  I  have  to  say  by 
the  evidence  of  the  photographic  record.  And  so  I 
explain  rather  lamely  that  I  am  ready  at  some  sub 
sequent  interview  to  give  all  the  information  that  I 
may  possess  on  the  subject.  At  any  hour,  then,  in 
the  morning  that  may  be  convenient  to  "  Mr.  Smith." 

"You  were  an  eye-witness  of  the — er — incident?" 
continues  my  inquisitor,  with  imperturbable  serenity. 

"  No  ;  and,  in  another  sense,  yes."  I  make  this  am 
biguous  statement  with  an  embarrassing  sense  of  its 
inadequacy,  but  what  am  I  to  do  ?  I  can't  explain 
myself  without  telling  the  whole  story,  and  when  I 
do  that  I  want  the  proof  at  hand.  I  half  rise ;  I  am 
anxious  now  to  get  away. 

"  Mr.  Smith"  put  out  his  hand  with  a  gesture  that 
somehow  compelled  obedience,  and  I  sank  back  into 
my  chair. 

"  Of  course,  Mr.  Gary,  you  are  acquainted  with  the 
contents  of  this  package  ?" 

"  No."  I  made  the  assertion  confidently,  as  I  had 
the  right  to  do. 

"  You  surprise  me.  You  do  not  know,  then,  that  the 
'  small  parcel  enclosed  in  a  chamois-leather  bag '  con 
tained  the  '  Cardinal's  Rose'?" 

"The  'Cardinal's  Rose'?" 

"  Precisely.  The  great  ruby  belonging  to  the  crown 
jewels  of  ^Etolia.  It  is  the  finest  ruby  in  the  world, 
and  familiar  to  all  connoisseurs  in  precious  stones." 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

I  explained  that  my  acquaintance  with  the  subject 
was  very  limited.  A  working  newspaper  man,  on 
$1800  a  year,  can  have  but  little  occasion  to  deal  in 
such  luxuries  as  crown  jewels.  And  as  for  this  partic 
ular  "  Cardinal's  Rose,"  I  had  never  even  heard  of  it. 

"Mr.  Smith"  listened  with  an  amused  smile. 
"  Then  you  are  equally  ignorant  of  its  value  ?"  he 
inquired,  abruptly. 

"  Absolutely  so." 

"The  Rajah  of  Buddapore  sold  it  to  his  Majesty 
Basil  I.  for  a  sum  equivalent  to  a  million  of  your 
dollars.  But  that  was  far  below  its  real  value,  and  it 
was  only  because  the  Rajah  had  to  have  the  money 
that  he  sold  it  at  all.  It  may  be  worth  four  or  five 
times  that  amount,  but,  of  course,  a  jewel  like  this  is 
not  quoted  in  the  open  market — it  is  not  supposed  to 
get  there,"  he  added,  significantly. 

Well,  but  this  was  a  larger  business  than  I  had  bar 
gained  for,  and  I  instantly  recognized  that  my  posi 
tion  was  a  delicate  one.  Persons  who  pretend  to 
know  something  about  the  disappearance  of  portable 
property  that  is  valued  in  the  millions  ought  to  keep 
their  credentials  at  hand.  As  it  was,  I  had  absolute 
ly  nothing  to  show  that  I  was  really  Nicholas  Gary, 
sub-editor  of  the  New  World  Review,  and  a  reputable 
citizen  of  Greater  New  York.  I  had  neither  passport 
nor  letter  of  credit,  and  there  was  no  one  at  the 
American  Embassy  who  knew  me.  Only  by  cabling 
could  I  establish  my  identity,  and  in  the  mean  time 
"  Mr.  Smith  "  was  waiting  for  his  explanation. 

There  was  but  one  thing  to  do.  I  would  tell  the 
story  just  as  it  was,  and  then  ask  "  Mr.  Smith  "  to 
accompany  me  to  the  Herald  office  for  the  proof.  I 
looked  up  and  met  his  eye  squarely. 

"  I  am  willing  to  tell  what  I  know  of  the  affair,"  I 
said,  as  quietly  as  I  could. 

32 


IHIUN    TOGETHER    IN    O.NK    MIGHTY    CRASH" 


"MR.    SMITH"   CHEZ    LUI 

"  Mr.  Smith  "  smiled,  and  begged  that  I  would  begin 
at  once.  But  before  I  could  do  so,  a  door  opened  and 
a  third  person  entered  the  room.  "  Mr.  Smith " 
turned,  impatiently,  and  then  rose  and  advanced 
rapidly  towards  the  new-comer.  A  few  words  passed 
between  them  in  an  undertone.  Evidently  they  were 
on  the  closest  terms  of  intimacy,  and  I  myself  had 
some  title  to  look  upon  the  gentleman  as  an  old 
acquaintance,  none  other  than  "  Fur  Coat "  in  person. 
Here  was  a  pretty  coil  indeed !  But  I  took  my  reso 
lution  quickly. 

"  Mr.  Nicholas  Gary,  of  New  York,"  explained  "  Mr. 
Smith,"  with  a  polite  inclination  in  my  direction. 
And  then  in  French:  "You  speak  French,  do  you 
not?  My  friend  understands  little  or  no  English." 

I  bowed.  "  Yes  ;  but  my  communication  was  to  be 
absolutely  confidential." 

"  Precisely,  my  dear  Mr.  Gary;  but  when  I  inform 
you  that  this  gentleman  is  the  Chevalier  du  Midi,  you 
will  perceive  that  he  is  fully  entitled  with  myself 
to  any  information  that  you  may  feel  inclined  to 
give." 

Now  I  have  not  the  slightest  idea  of  who  the 
Chevalier  du  Midi  may  be,  but  I  do  know  that  he  is 
the  last  person  in  the  world  who  should  hear  what  I 
have  to  say.  Of  what  use  to  make  an  open  accusa 
tion,  even  though  the  photographic  record  might  be 
adduced  to  prove  my  charge  ?  The  prime  object,  as 
I  viewed  it,  was  the  recovery  of  the  "  Cardinal's 
Rose,"  and  if  the  net  is  to  be  spread  in  the  direct 
sight  of  the  bird,  we  should  assuredly  go  home  empty- 
handed. 

The  only  chance  is  to  persist  in  my  refusal  to  tell 

nothing  except  to  "  Mr.    Smith  "  alone.     But   I  am 

afraid  that  it  will  be  difficult  to  persuade  him  that  I 

am  the  better  judge  of  what  is  vital  to  his  interests. 

c  33 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

No  matter ;  I  will  put  a  bold  face  upon  the  issue  thus 
joined. 

"  I  must  decline  to  speak  except  in  private,"  I 
answered,  steadily. 

The  General,  as  the  young  man  has  once  or  twice 
addressed  him,  frowned,  and  then  beckoned  to  the 
embrasure  of  a  window  in  the  far  corner  of  the  room, 
where  they  continued  for  some  minutes  talking 
earnestly. 

Oddly  enough,  I  rather  like  the  face  of  this  young 
Chevalier  du  Midi,  now  that  I  see  it  in  the  flesh  He 
was  to  have  been  the  villain  in  my  melodrama,  bat  he 
is  not  at  all  the  sort  of  person  that  I  should  have  cast 
for  the  part.  Tall  and  slight,  there  is  just  the  sug 
gestion  of  weakness  in  the  lines  around  the  mouth 
and  in  the  indecisively  moulded  chin.  But  a  thief ! 
a  traitor !  the  thought  is  impossible.  The  General 
turned  around. 

"  Once  more,  Mr.  Gary,  I  must  ask  you  to  proceed 
with  what  you  have  to  say." 

There  is  the  thin  edge  of  a  threat  in  the  tones  of 
his  voice,  and  it  irritates  me.  I  can  be  stubborn,  too, 
and  I  am  not  here  to  see  justice  thwarted  so  egre- 
giously. 

"  Impossible,  General.  I  will  speak  to  you  in  pri 
vate — or  not  at  all."  I  rise,  and  look  for  my  hat  and 
stick  ;  the  situation  has  become  intolerable. 

"  But,  my  dear  sir,  I  cannot  permit  you  to  leave 
until  you  have  complied  with  my  very  reasonable 
request." 

"  I  shall  be  in  Paris  until  Thursday  ;  I  will  give  you 
my  address." 

"  I  should  much  prefer  your  company,  my  dear 
Mr.  Gary,  and — well,  if  you  must  have  it  —  I  shall 
insist." 

There  is  menace,  open  and  unmistakable,  in  these 
34 


"MR.   SMITH"   CHEZ    LUI 

last  words.     I  measure  my  distance  to  the  door — one 
hasty  stride — 

Two  stout  fellows  in  livery  have  suddenly  presented 
themselves  from  an  inner  apartment  and  are  barring 
my  way  to  liberty.  But  my  blood  is  up  now,  and  I 
lead  savagely  with  my  left  at  the  nearest  of  the 
flunkies.  The  blow  catches  him  squarely  on  the 
point  of  the  chin,  and  he  is  flat  aback  against  the 
wall.  Had  he  gone  down,  I  might  have  had  a  chance, 
but  before  I  can  turn  to  deal  with  Number  Two,  they 
are  both  upon  me.  Straining  and  tripping,  the  three 
of  us  thrash  backward  into  the  centre  of  the  room.  I 
catch  one  glimpse  of  a  woman's  startled  face,  framed 
in  an  adjacent  doorway,  and  then  we  go  down 
together  in  one  mighty  crash.  My  head  strikes 
against  something  sharp  and  hard,  and  the  rest  is 
darkness. 


CHAPTER  V 

THE  SPIDER'S  PARLOR 

JHEN  I  awoke,  I  found  myself  comforta 
bly  stowed  away  in  bed,  and  for  some 
minutes  I  lay  staring  up  at  the  ceiling, 
trying  to  piece  things  together  again,  as 
though  my  mind  were  some  sort  of  dis 
sected  map  puzzle.  Then  I  remembered,  and  on  putting 
my  hand  to  my  head  I  found  it  carefully  swathed  about 
with  bandages.  It  felt  rather  sore,  but  I  was  sure  that  no 
material  damage  had  been  done ;  it  had  been  an  extra 
hard  knock,  that  was  all.  Somebody  had  struck  me, 
or  I  had  fallen — ah,  now  it  all  comes  back,  the  strug 
gle,  and  my  ignominious  defeat.  It  was  plain  that  I 
had  not  succeeded  in  getting  clear.  I  must  be  even 
now  enjoying  the  enforced  hospitality  of  the  per 
sistent  "  Mr.  Smith." 

The  room  itself  was  in  semi-darkness,  but  there  was 
a  gleam  of  yellow  light  bordering  the  heavy  window- 
curtains.  The  sun  was  shining  outride ;  could  it  be 
possible  that  the  night  had  passed  ?  My  watch  was 
lying  upon  a  stand  set  at  the  head  of  the  bed.  I 
looked  at  it  and  saw  that  it  was  a  little  after  eight 
o'clock.  Surely  I  had  not  been  unconscious  all  this 
time  from  the  effects  of  a  blow  received  at  seven 
o'clock  the  night  before.  I  must  have  slept,  and 
soundly,  too,  for  twelve  hours  at  least.  It  was  very 
odd;  perhaps  some  opiate  had  been  administered  to 

36 


THE    SPIDER'S    PARLOR 

keep  me  quiet.  The  thought  startled  me,  and  I  de 
termined  to  push  my  investigations  a  little  further. 

I  felt  a  trifle  giddy  as  I  sat  up  and  swung  my  feet 
to  the  floor,  but  the  weakness  quickly  passed.  I 
walked  over  to  the  window,  pulled  aside  the  curtains, 
and  looked  about  me. 

The  street  was  certainly  the  Rue  d'Alger.  I  re 
membered  distinctly  the  house  across  the  way,  with 
its  beautiful  iron  grill-work.  It  was  a  lovely  morn 
ing,  and  never  had  the  air  tasted  sweeter  ;  I  threw 
the  casement  wide  open  and  drank  it  down  greedily. 
Then  I  turned  to  contemplate  my  immediate  envi 
ronment. 

The  room  was  rather  small,  but  handsomely  ap 
pointed  in  every  way,  and  every  possible  provision 
had  been  made  for  my  comfort.  There  were  my 
clothes,  neatly  pressed  and  folded  ;  "  Mr.  Smith's  " 
valet  was  certainly  a  competent  person.  "Curious! 
but  there  is  something  familiar  in  the  look  of 
that  portmanteau — yes,  it  is  my  own,  and  there  is 
my  sole-leather  steamer  trunk.  How  on  earth  did 
they  get  here  from  the  Hotel  Marengo  ?  Does  '  Mr. 
Smith '  intend  that  I  shall  make  his  apartments 
my  permanent  headquarters  ?  It  is  very  good  of 
him,  but " — I  walked  over  to  the  door  and  felt  it  all 
over,  for  it  must  be  that  my  eyes  had  tricked  me. 
But,  no  ;  they  were  right,  there  was  not  the  vestige 
of  a  knob,  on  this  side  at  least.  The  door  in  the  oppo 
site  wall  appeared  to  be  in  normal  working  order, 
but  it  led  only  to  a  large  closet. 

Really,  now,  but  this  was  quite  too  absurd.  Who 
ever  this  "  General  " — this  "  Mr.  Smith  "  might  be,  he 
could  not  seriously  contemplate  the  idea  of  interfer 
ing  with  my  personal  liberty,  and  that,too,in  the  very 
heart  of  civilized  Paris.  This  was  not  the  fourteenth 
century,  but  the  nineteenth,  and  this  exclusive  family 

37 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

hotel,  just  off  the  crowded  Rue  de  Rivoli,  was  neither  a 
fortalice  in  the  Apennines,  nor  a  palace  on  the  Bos 
porus.  The  whole  thing  was  too  ridiculous  ! 

I  tried  the  knobless  door,  but  there  was  no  possible 
way  of  opening  it  from  the  inside.  I  knocked  gently, 
and  then  furiously,  but  there  was  no  response.  Ah, 
there  is  the  bell-pull !  I  will  try  that. 

I  heard  footsteps  and  the  turning  of  a  key,  and  just 
managed  to  get  back  into  bed  as  a  servant  entered, 
carrying  a  coffee-tray.  I  recognized  in  the  fellow 
one  of  my  adversaries  of  the  night  before.  He  had  a 
big  piece  of  black  plaster  on  his  chin,  and  there  was 
the  semblance  of  a  grin  lurking  at  the  corners  of  his 
mouth  as  he  advanced  to  the  bedside  and  respectful 
ly  wished  me  a  good-morning. 

"  Well  ?"  I  said,  impatiently. 

"  The  General  presents  his  compliments,  and  desires 
the  pleasure  of  Mr.  Gary's  company  in  the  library  at  his 
earliest  convenience.  How  will  m'sieu  have  his  bath  ?" 

Plainly  there  was  nothing  else  to  be  done,  and  I 
should  not  get  very  far  upon  any  road  if  I  stuck  to 
my  high  horse.  Vital  proved  himself  an  excellent 
valet,  and  the  transfer  of  a  five-franc  piece  quickly 
obliterated  the  unpleasant  recollections  of  our  first 
meeting,  and  placed  us  on  the  best  of  terms.  For  all 
that  he  was  a  singularly  uncommunicative  person, 
and  although  I  tried  hard  to  pump  him,  I  got  but 
little  for  my  pains.  The  General  was  M.  le  Comte 
Czareska,  temporarily  residing  in  Paris,  and  the 
household  comprised  his  daughter,  Mile.  Irma,  Mme. 
Verriker,  an  English  lady  and  companion  to  made 
moiselle,  and  M.  le  Chevalier  du  Midi,  whom  I  had 
already  met.  Well,  this  told  me  nothing,  and  it  was 
plain  that  I  must  look  to  the  General  for  an  expla 
nation,  if,  indeed,  he  proposed  giving  me  even  that 
much  by  way  of  satisfaction. 

38 


THE    SPIDER'S    PARLOR 

I  took  the  precaution,  after  dismissing  the  man,  to 
see  that  my  money  and  papers  were  intact.  Nothing 
was  missing ;  my  gold  and  notes  footed  up  to  the  last 
sou,  and  my  solitary  piece  of  jewelry,  a  heart-shaped 
pearl  pin,  was  sticking  in  my  Ascot  scarf.  My  watch, 
my  cigarette  case,  my  keys — ah,  where  are  my  keys  ? 
I  always  carry  them  in  my  left  waistcoat-pocket.  I 
found  them  at  last  in  a  coat-pocket,  and  as  I  am  very 
methodical  in  such  trifles,  this  change  of  location  leads 
to  but  one  conclusion — my  clothing  and  trunks  must 
have  been  searched  while  I  was  unconscious.  The 
bare  thought  makes  me  furious,  but  it  is  ten  o'clock, 
and  the  General  is  awaiting  me.  So  much  the  better; 
he  shall  answer  personally  to  me  for  this  unforgivable 
affront. 

Vital  appeared  at  the  door,  in  response  to  my  ring, 
and  indicated  that  I  was  to  follow  him.  I  found  the 
General  in  the  library,  where  I  had  been  received  the 
night  before.  He  advanced  to  meet  me,  but  I  cut 
short  his  polite  inquiries  as  to  my  health  by  abruptly 
demanding  the  reason  for  my  extraordinary  treat 
ment. 

"  I  must  leave  this  place  immediately,"  I  concluded, 
staring  hard  at  him. 

The  General  took  my  ultimatum  most  affably,  but 
a  graven  image  could  not  have  been  more  unyielding. 

"You  forget,  Mr.  Gary,  that  you  were  to  give  me  a 
certain  piece  of  information." 

"And  you  insisted,"  I  retorted,  "upon  the  admis 
sion  of  a  third  person  to  what  was  to  be  a  strictly  pri 
vate  conference." 

"  At  the  time — yes.  Perhaps  I  was  wrong,  and  at 
any  rate  that  difficulty  does  not  present  itself  at  pres 
ent.  We  are  alone,  and  we  shall  not  be  interrupted." 

This  made  me  angry,  but  I  tried  to  speak  coolly : 
"  Under  the  circumstances  I  shall  refuse  to  say  any- 

39 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

thing.  I  came  here  to  render  you  a  service,  and  you 
have  taken  an  unjustifiable  advantage  of  my  confi 
dence  in  your  honor.  Until  I  receive  an  apology,  and 
am  assured  of  entire  liberty  of  action,  I  must  remain 
silent." 

"As  to  the  apology,  Mr.  Gary,  it  shall  be  as  ample 
as  you  can  possibly  desire.  It  is  an  unpleasant  neces 
sity  which  has  compelled  me  to  act  as  I  have  done, 
and  I  regret  it  heartily.  But  as  to  your  second  con 
dition,  we  may  as  well  understand  each  other.  I  shall 
be  obliged  to  consider  you  as  my  guest  until  you  see 
fit  to  answer  my  questions." 

For  the  moment  I  am  dumfounded  by  this  auda 
cious  ultimatum.  It  is  incredible  ;  I  cannot  believe 
that  the  man  is  serious.  And  then  I  take  another 
look  at  that  calmly  smiling  face,  and  I  realize  that 
I  have  to  do  with  a  will  that  stops  at  nothing  to  at 
tain  its  ends.  The  General  means  what  he  says;  I 
am  a  prisoner,  and  under  a  duress  as  real  as  though 
these  velvet  hangings  and  gorgeous  tapestries  were 
the  stone  walls  of  a  mediaeval  dungeon.  For  one  in 
stant  I  feel  a  wild  desire  to  meet  the  outrage  with 
physical  resistance.  The  General  is  an  old  man,  the 
people  in  the  street,  the  other  guests  in  the  hotel — 
it  is  impossible  that  assistance  can  be  absolutely  cut 
off.  Let  him  bring  on  his  flunkies  if  he  will ;  I'll 
engage  that  the  row  shall  reach  the  ears  of  every 
gendarme  within  a  dozen  blocks.  Then  I  grow  cool 
again.  I  see  that  in  this  room  also  the  knobs  have 
been  removed  from  all  the  doors  opening  out  into 
the  corridor  and  private  halls.  I  shall  merely  be 
exposing  myself  to  another  humiliating  contest  with 
menials,  and  to  the  consequent  loss  of  whatever  per 
sonal  dignity  I  may  still  possess.  I  must  deal  with 
this  madman  in  another  way. 

"You  are  aware,  General  Czareska,  that  in  forcibly 
40 


THE    SPIDER'S    PARLOR 

detaining  me  you  are  laying  yourself  open  to  serious 
consequences  ?" 

"  Perfectly,  sir ;  but  I  am  prepared  to  encounter 
them." 

"  I  am  an  American  citizen,  and  one  word  to  the 
Ambassador  of  the  United  States — " 

"  Precisely ;  but  that  word  will  not  be  spoken." 

Well,  really,  but  the  effrontery  is  so  exquisite  that 
I  cannot  help  smiling.  The  General  seizes  the 
opening. 

"  My  dear  Mr.  Gary,  let  us  be  open  with  each  other. 
It  is  plain  that  you  possess  some  information  relative 
to  the — er — disappearance  of  the  'Cardinal's  Rose,' 
and  the  recovery  of  the  jewel  has  for  me  an  impor 
tance  that  is  totally  incommensurate  with  its  intrin 
sic  value,  large  as  that  may  be.  You  are  a  gentle 
man,  and  I  will  not  do  you  the  discourtesy  of  asking 
the  price  of  your  secret.  I  am  certain  that  no  stigma 
attaches  to  you,  whatever  may  have  been  your  part 
in  the  matter  ;  but  I  tell  you  frankly  that  we  shall 
not  be  quit  of  each  other  until  I  know  the  truth." 

"  And  I  say  to  you,  M.  le  Ge'ne'ral,  that  the  resto 
ration  of  my  self-respect — in  other  words,  my  liberty, 
is  the  sole  condition  upon  which  I  will  consent  to 
open  my  mouth." 

"When  an  irresistible  force  encounters  an  immov 
able  body,"  returns  my  opponent,  with  entire  good- 
humor,  "  the  only  thing  left  is  to  go  in  to  breakfast." 

He  hesitated  a  moment,  and  then  went  on :  "  Of 
course,  you  can  be  served  in  your  own  room,  if  you 
prefer;  but  since  our  association  is  likely  to  be  pro 
longed  indefinitely,  you  may  find  it  pleasanter  to  ac 
cept  a  seat  at  my  table." 

As  I  am  very  hungry,  and  shall  spite  no  one  but 
myself  by  refusing,  I  bow  my  acknowledgments, 
and  we  enter  an  adjoining  apartment  where  the  dd* 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

jeuner  a  la  fourchette  is  being  served,  and  the  Gen 
eral  gives  me  the  honor  of  a  presentation  to  Mrs. 
Verriker,  who  is  already  seated.  She  is  unmistakably 
British  in  appearance,  but  still  a  fine-looking  woman. 
I  instinctively  dislike  her,  but  I  don't  trouble  myself 
to  find  a  reason  ;  I  have  mentally  classed  her  with 
the  celebrated  Doctor  Fell,  and  that  is  reason  enough. 
Curious  eyes  she  has  ;  they  seem  to  be  everywhere 
in  general  and  nowhere  in  particular.  I  can  feel  that 
she  is  studying  me,  even  though  her  attention  is  ap 
parently  bestowed  upon  the  contents  of  her  soup- 
plate.  The  Chevalier  is  not  present,  and  Mile.  Cza- 
reska  only  appears  after  we  have  been  seated  for 
a  few  minutes. 

It  is  indeed  the  girl  of  Dover  pier,  like  and  yet  how 
unlike.  That  first  picture  is  still  always  present  to 
my  mind — the  slender,  swaying  form,  the  troubled, 
wistful  face.  Quite  another  person  is  this  tailor- 
made  young  woman  who  sweeps  me  over  with  an  in 
different  glance,  and  then  applies  herself  to  lorgnette 
and  letters.  I  think  grimly  that  I  am  likely  to  have 
plenty  of  time  in  which  to  improve  the  acquaint 
ance. 

The  meal  is  hardly  a  success  from  the  social  point 
of  view.  The  General  is  amiably  talkative,  but  Mrs. 
Verriker  speaks  only  in  monosyllables,  and  mademoi 
selle  is  openly  and  haughtily  indifferent  to  us  all. 
As  for  me,  my  head  is  aching  again,  and  I  am  feel 
ing  blue  and  out  of  sorts.  It  is  a  relief  to  get  back 
into  the  library,  where  I  find  the  newspapers  at  my 
service,  including  the  Paris  edition  of  the  Herald, 
out  of  compliment  to  my  national  predilections-  Af 
ter  a  few  moments  the  General  excuses  himself,  and 
leaves  me  to  the  resources  of  literature  and  a  box 
of  Reina  Victorias.  Excellent  cigars  they  are,  too ; 
and  yet  I  should  prefer  one  of  those  horrible  Parisian 

42 


THE    SPIDER'S    PARLOR 

cigarettes  and  the  liberty  of  the  Boulevard  des  Ca- 
pucines. 

Now  I  am  not  so  childish  as  to  make  any  overt  at 
tempt  at  escaping  from  my  gilded  cage.  Even  if  I 
could  succeed  in  breaking  down  one  of  the  knobless 
doors,  I  should  assuredly  have  to  deal  with  Vital  and 
Achille,  and  unquestionably  they  have  their  orders. 
It  is  also  certain  that  the  people  of  the  hotel  are  en 
tirely  subservient  to  the  wishes  of  my  self-appointed 
host.  If  he  chooses  to  keep  a  live  hippopotamus  in  his 
apartments,  it  is  entirely  his  own  affair,  and  he  is 
quite  able  to  pay  for  his  whim.  Nobody  is  going  to 
bother  themselves  over  the  misfortunes  of  an  obscure 
American  newspaper  editor.  Let  him  give  his  hos 
tage  to  Fortune  or  take  the  consequences. 

I  fall  to  wondering  how  my  enemies  had  discovered 
my  whereabouts  at  the  Hotel  Marengo,  and  how  old 
Beraud  had  been  cajoled  into  the  surrender  of  my 
luggage.  But,  then,  money  will  do  anything,  even  if 
not  backed  up  by  some  mysterious  influence  whose 
existence  is  certain,  even  though  I  may  not  be  able 
to  analyze  its  source  of  power.  I  must  take  facts  as 
I  find  them. 

The  thought  occurs  to  me  that  I  may  possibly  suc 
ceed  in  getting  a  message  to  Mr.  Benton,  our  ambas 
sador.  If  I  can  once  gain  his  ear  my  troubles  will  soon 
be  over.  It  is  useless,  any  attempt  at  suborning  the 
Czareska  servants  ;  they  are  incorruptible  and  devoted 
to  their  master's  interest.  But  there  is  the  chance  of  a 
letter  addressed  to  the  American  ambassador  and 
thrown  at  a  venture  into  the  street  below.  There  are 
scores  of  casual  passers-by,  and,  taking  into  account  the 
simplicity  of  the  service  asked,  and  the  importance  of 
the  missive  as  indicated  by  its  address — really,  the 
odds  are  all  in  my  favor,  and  it  will  cost  me  nothing 
to  accept  them. 

43 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

I  write  my  letter  and  approach  the  half-open  win 
dow.  Nobody  is  in  sight,  so  here  goes  my  bid  for 
liberty.  It  falls  safely  to  the  pavement,  and  I  then 
experience  the  mortification  of  seeing  it  carefully 
picked  up  by  Achille,  who  emerges,  as  though  quite 
by  accident,  from  the  conciergerie  of  the  house  across 
the  street.  A  few  moments  later  he  presents  it  to  me 
upon  a  salver,  with  the  respectful  admonition  that 
the  throwing  of  papers  into  the  street  is  forbidden 
under  the  municipal  code.  And  so  I  betake  myself 
again  to  the  Temps  and  a  fresh  Havana.  It  is  Kis 
met. 


CHAPTER  VI 

THE    PARTING   OF   THE   WAYS 

is  just  ten  days  since  I  became  General 
Czareska's  guest,  to  use  his  own  pleasant 
euphemism.  To-morrow  is  Saturday,  July 
7th,  and  I  should  be  at  Liverpool,  ready  to 
go  aboard  the  Lucania,  the  ship  being 
scheduled  to  sail  at  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning.  But 
I  shall  not  be  there,  and  in  consequence  I  will  not  be 
able  to  report  at  my  desk  on  Monday,  July  i6th.  My 
chief  of  the  New  World  Review  will  wonder  at  my 
delinquency,  and  then,  after  waiting  upon  me  for  a 
reasonable  length  of  time,  he  will  proceed  to  fill  my 
place.  This  is  what  I  get  for  meddling  with  other 
people's  business.  It  is  too  bad,  for  it  is  none  too  easy 
to  find  a  new  berth  nowadays ;  there  are  plenty  of 
sub-editors  in  New  York  who  are  quite  as  competent 
as  myself  to  read  MSS.  and  proof  for  the  New  World. 
I  tried  to  explain  this  the  other  day  to  the  General, 
but  he  only  smiled,  and  assured  me  that  matters  lay 
entirely  in  my  own  hands.  I  had  only  to  make  my 
promised  disclosure,  and,  no  matter  what  its  tenor,  I 
should  be  free  to  depart,  foi  de  gcntilJiomme. 

Of  course,  I  have  refused  to  even  consider  such  a 
proposition.  I  can  be  as  inflexible  as  the  next  man,  and 
my  self-respect  is  the  real  issue.  I  will  not  be  co 
erced  into  the  performance  of  a  service  that  I  had 
undertaken  out  of  pure  good-will;  I  will  not  say  a  word 

45 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

until  I  am  in  a  position  to  do  so  as  one  gentleman  may 
to  another.  Here  we  stick,  and  I  see  no  way  out  of 
the  blind  alley  into  which  I  have  so  recklessly  plunged. 
We  discuss  the  situation  by  the  hour,  and  with  the 
most  amiable  intentions,  but  we  always  leave  off  pre 
cisely  where  we  began.  The  General  is  a  perfect 
mule  for  obstinacy,  and  I  will  die  now  sooner  than 
yield  my  point. 

It  may  seem  incredible  that  this  strange  captivity 
should  exist  outside  of  a  dream,  but,  unfortunately, 
its  reality  is  not  to  be  questioned.  I  have  absolutely 
no  means  of  communication  with  the  outside  world. 
None  of  the  ordinary  hotels  ervants  ever  enters  our 
apartments  ;  we  are  served  entirely  by  the  General's 
own  people,  and  they  are  incorruptible.  Telepathy  is 
a  sealed  science  to  me,  and  Vital  or  Achille  are  al 
ways  at  hand  to  intercept  my  material  messages.  I 
have  been  offered  a  certain  amount  of  outside  liberty 
upon  the  condition  of  giving  my  parole,  but  I  do  not 
choose  to  avail  myself  of  the  empty  privilege. 

Yesterday,  however,  to  my  astonishment,  the  Gen 
eral  invited  me  to  take  a  walk  with  him.  I  accepted, 
fully  confident  of  my  ability  to  bring  the  farce  to  an 
end.  Once  let  me  get  into  the  open  street  and  the 
terms  will  be  even  again,  despite  the  presence  of  the 
two  body-servants.  The  nearest  gendarme  will  serve 
my  turn,  for  no  officer  can  refuse  my  request  to  be 
conducted  to  a  prefecture  for  an  examination,  and  I 
can  then  make  my  appeal  to  the  American  ambas 
sador. 

Well,  as  it  turned  out,  we  walked  along,  chatting 
pleasantly,  until  we  came  to  the  Place  Vendome.  A 
fiacre  was  passing,  and,  before  any  one  could  inter 
fere,  I  had  hailed  it,  jumped  in,  and  motioned  to  the 
driver  to  proceed.  The  man  hesitated  and  asked 
where  I  wished  to  go.  Imbecile !  for  Vital  was 

46 


THE    PARTING    OF    THE    WAYS 

already  at  the  horse's  head.  But  there  was  also  a 
gendarme  within  a  few  paces,  and  I  must  make  my 
stand  now  or  never. 

"To  the  American  Embassy,"  I  shouted;  but  Vital 
had  the  bridle  in  hand,  and  the  fool  of  a  cocker  was 
too  much  astonished  to  know  what  to  do.  The  gen 
darme  hastened  up  and  demanded  the  cause  of  the 
disturbance,  while  we  all  tried  to  talk  at  once.  The 
General  whispered  something  in  the  officer's  ear,  and 
tapped  his  own  forehead  in  a  significant  manner.  Of 
course,  I  understood  ;  he  was  describing  me  as  a  pa 
tient  of  some  private  maison  de  santS  out  for  an  airing 
with  my  keepers,  and  in  spite  of  my  vexation,  I  could 
not  help  laughing  at  the  neat  way  in  which  the  old 
gentleman  carried  it  off.  An  appeal  was  useless,  and 
resistance  equally  so.  Escorted  by  the  representative 
of  the  law,  we  progressed  solemnly  back  to  Numtro 
dix-huit,  and  I  had  to  find  what  consolation  I  could 
in  spread-eagling  the  General  at  billiards,  one  hundred 
points  up. 

And  yet,  despite  the  occasional  pressure  of  the  steel 
hand  within  the  velvet  glove,  my  position  is  not  an 
unpleasant  one.  The  General  and  I  are  on  excellent 
terms,  especially  since  it  has  come  out  that  during  our 
civil  war  he  served  for  a  few  months  with  my  dear 
father,  as  a  volunteer  aid  on  McClellan's  staff.  He 
knew  Major  Gary  quite  well,  and  esteemed  him  high 
ly.  As  the  son  of  my  father  I  am  to  command  him  in 
everything — that  is,  in  all  but  one  thing. 

I  have  also  become  quite  intimate  with  the  young 
Chevalier  du  Midi.  He  has  his  own  apartments  in  the 
hotel,  but  he  dines  with  us  almost  every  evening;  and 
in  the  daytime  we  play  billiards;  he  is  also  giving 
me  fencing  lessons.  It  is  a  fine  exercise,  and,  under  his 
tuition,  I  have  already  acquired  a  tolerable  degree  of 
proficiency.  Upon  my  word,  I  do  not  know  what  to 

47 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

make  of  him.  It  is  not  easy  to  forget  a  certain  thing, 
and  yet — well,  it  is  inexplicable ! 

Of  the  two  ladies  I  have  seen  comparatively  little. 
Mrs.  Verriker  is  distantly  polite,  for  she  seems  to  re 
sent  my  presence  here.  Can  she  know  that  it  is  in 
voluntary  on  my  part  ? 

Mademoiselle  I  meet  at  dinner,  and  occasionally  she 
so  far  unbends  as  to  give  us  a  little  music  in  the  even 
ings.  She  plays  the  harp  beautifully,  and  sings  strange 
little  ballads  in  some  extraordinary  foreign  tongue 
whose  very  name  is  unknown  to  me.  And  now  and 
then  we  all  have  a  round  game  at  "  race-course,"  with 
real  printed  cards  of  the  various  events,  and  accom 
panied  by  the  most  spirited  of  book -making.  I  won 
the  big  "Rue  d'Alger"  sweepstakes  last  night  with 
my  black  filly,  Vixen,  and  Mrs.  Verriker  honored  my 
success  with  a  look  that  was  full  of  dagger-points. 

Not  once,  though,  had  I  caught  even  a  glimpse  of 
the  real  Irma  de  Czareska,  if,  indeed,  she  be  the 
same  woman  who  on  a  certain  gray  day  in  March 
turned  her  back  on  all  the  world  and  looked  at  me. 
I  wonder  if  I  shall  ever  know  ;  and  then,  again,  I  say 
to  myself  that  it  is  better  as  it  is.  When  my  time 
does  come,  it  will  be  that  much  the  easier  to  slip 
quietly  away,  and  so  be  done  with  it  all. 

As  for  the  rest,  I  dare  say  that  I  am  fortunately 
placed.  I  am  with  charming  people,  who  know  how 
to  live,  and  the  feeling  is  a  pleasant  one  after  years  of 
grinding  at  the  office,  and  following  upon  an  uninter 
rupted  succession  of  dreary  city  and  country  board 
ing-houses.  I  have  fallen  into  my  lines  with  aston 
ishing  facility,  and  the  romance  is  all  the  more  alluring 
that  it  is  spiced  with  mystery,  perhaps  with  danger. 

For  two  or  three  days  I  have  seen  hardly  anything 
of  either  the  General  or  of  du  Midi.  They  seem  to 
have  important  business  on  hand,  and  receive  many 

48 


THE    PARTING    OF    THE    WAYS 

visitors,  foreign  -  looking  men,  who  gesticulate  with 
much  vehemence,  and  smoke  vast  quantities  of  Egyp 
tian  tobacco.  Of  course  I  am  not  invited  to  join  their 
conferences,  and  the  arrival  of  a  visitor  is  the  signal 
for  my  departure  to  the  billiard-room. 

Among  these  gentlemen  (of  fortune,  perhaps)  there 
is  one  man  whom  I  have  run  across  several  times,  and 
whose  appearance  interests  me.  I  have  learned  that 
his  name  is  Coventry — Mr.  Giles  Coventry,  to  be 
precise — and  he  is  supposed  to  have  some  indefinite 
connection  with  the  French  Foreign  Office.  But, 
even  apart  from  his  name,  I  am  sure  that  he  is  Eng 
lish.  Mr.  Coventry  is  a  fine  -  looking  man  of  five- 
and-forty,  or  thereabouts,  and  oddly  enough  I  never 
see  him  without  my  mind  harking  back  to  "  Monsieur 
Pompadour,"  of  Dover  pier.  And  yet  the  resemblance 
is  so  very  general  in  character  as  to  give  me  no 
ground  for  active  speculation  ;  above  all,  it  is  lacking 
in  the  distinguishing  mark  of  the  hair  dressed  a  la 
pompadour. 

Mr.  Coventry  seems  to  be  a  great  friend  of  the 
Chevalier's,  and  he  has  dined  with  us  once  or  twice. 
Frankly,  I  like  him,  for  there  is  an  engaging  dash  and 
swagger  about  him  that  is  taking  enough.  But  now 
and  then  I  fancy  that  he  is  putting  it  on  ;  last  night 
at  dinner  he  hardly  said  three  words  during  as  many 
courses.  But  he  flashed  out  again  when  the  cham 
pagne  came  on,  and  convulsed  us  with  his  accounts  of 
"  Golf  as  she  is  played  "  by  the  Anglo-maniacs  of  the 
Jockey  Club. 

Monday,  July  gtJi. — The  General  made  an  extra 
ordinary  proposal  to  me  to-day.  It  seems  that  there 
is  to  be  a  ball  at  the  Russian  Embassy,  and  Mile. 
Czareska  wishes  to  attend  it.  Of  course,  Mrs.  Ver- 
riker  will  be  on  duty  as  a  chaperon,  but  a  male  es 
cort  is  also  desirable,  and  both  the  General  and  du 
D  49 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

Midi  will  be  otherwise  engaged — perhaps  another  one 
of  those  mysterious  conferences.  Possibly  they  will 
feel  more  at  ease  to  know  that  I  am  unmistakably 
out  of  the  way ;  at  any  rate,  the  General  has  asked 
me  if  I  will  oblige  him  by  assuming  his  place  at 
mademoiselle's  side.  I  will  have  to  give  my  parole, 
and  it  is  a  necessity  that  I  dislike  ;  in  doing  so  I  vir 
tually  admit  the  legitimacy  of  the  duress  under  which 
I  chafe. 

For  all  that  I  have  resolved  to  accept,  and  I  shall 
not  try  to  analyze  my  reasons  too  closely.  Fortunately 
I  have  with  me  my  evening  clothes  ;  I  am  not  sure 
that  I  could  submit  to  the  horrors  of  a  Parisian  dress- 
coat,  even  for  the  pleasure  of  a  deux-temps  with  Irma 
de  Czareska. 

The  carriage  was  already  in  line  at  the  embassy, 
when  I  remembered  that,  after  all,  the  General  had 
omitted  to  take  my  formal  parole.  I  said  as  much  to 
mademoiselle,  and  asked  her  to  accept  my  assurance 
of  good  faith  to  cover  the  period  of  our  absence. 
She  inclined  her  head,  without  speaking,  and  a  moment 
later  we  had  passed  the  portals  of  his  Excellency 
Baron  Zapkoff. 

I  dare  say  that  the  ball  was  nothing  out  of  the  com 
mon,  as  such  functions  go  in  Paris,  but  to  my  eyes  the 
spectacle  was  an  enchanting  one.  Nowadays,  we  New- 
Yorkers  yield  to  no  one  in  the  matter  of  wax  candles 
and  gold-leaf,  but  my  fashionable  horizon  had  been 
bounded,  hitherto,  by  the  heavy  splendors  of  the  red- 
room  at  old  Delmonico's,  and  by  the  insipid  prettiness 
of  one  or  two  private  ball-rooms.  Here  was  the  real 
thing  at  last,  a  genuine  echo  of  Paris  the  magnificent 
— these  Russians,  at  least,  still  live  to  show  us  how  the 
great  world  once  moved. 

But  with  my  eyes  once  clear  of  the  first  dazzle,  it 
was  the  people  that  interested  me  the  most.  The 

5° 


THE    PARTING    OF    THE    WAYS 

jewels,  the  uniforms,  the  crosses  were  but  the  acci 
dents  of  wealth  and  of  rank  ;  the  men  and  women  who 
stood  and  moved  about  me,  they  were  the  embodi 
ments  of  the  social  power  itself.  Mademoiselle  was 
graciously  pleased  to  point  out  several  of  the  more 
exalted  personages,  and  I  am  bound  to  say  that  I 
looked  them  over  with  a  frank  curiosity.  But,  then, 
that  is  the  attitude  always  expected  of  a  born  demo 
crat,  as  I  explained  to  mademoiselle.  She  smiled  : 

"  Let  us  go  on  into  the  world  of  finance.  You  see 
the  little  round  man  standing  near  our  host  ;  that  is 
Baron  Kerker." 

Of  course  I  knew  all  about  Baron  Kerker,  money 
lender  to  half  Europe,  a  man  who  in  the  mere  mass 
of  his  millions  possesses  the  Archimedian  lever  that 
can  move  the  world. 

"  I  can  admire  him  honestly  enough,"  I  said,  smiling 
back  at  her.  "His  is  a  power  that  appeals  to  every 
true  New-Yorker." 

"  Then  study  him  attentively,  Mr.  Gary ;  the  knowl 
edge  may  prove  useful." 

Mademoiselle  went  off  for  a  turn  on  the  floor  with 
a  young  English  diplomatic  sprig,  and  I  was  obliged 
to  pay  some  perfunctory  attentions  to  Mrs.  Verriker. 
As  usual,  we  did  not  get  on  at  all,  and  I  was  more 
than  relieved  when  mademoiselle  returned  and  asked 
me  to  take  her  into  the  adjoining  conservatory;  the 
heat  of  the  ball-room — it  had  become  really  oppressive! 

From  where  we  were  sitting  in  the  cool  semi- 
obscurity,  we  could  see  into  the  great  salon.  Sud 
denly  mademoiselle's  fan  touched  my  arm. 

"  Straight  in  front  of  you — the  elderly  man  with 
out  any  decorations — that  is  Mr.  Benton,  the  Ameri 
can  ambassador." 

I  looked  at  her  in  questioning  silence,  and  she  went 
on  rapidly : 

5* 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

"Allow  me  to  return  your  parole,  Mr.  Gary.  You 
have  only  to  take  me  back  to  madame,  and  you  are 
free  to  act  as  you  think  best.  But  if  you  will  accept 
a  word  of  advice  from  me,  you  will  not  trust  too  im 
plicitly  even  in  your  country's  protecting  arm.  You 
must  leave  Paris  at  the  earliest  possible  moment,  and 
take  the  first  steamer  for  New  York." 

"You  forget,  mademoiselle,"  I  said,  quietly,  "that 
it  was  only  through  an  oversight  that  I  did  not  give 
my  word  to  your  father.  And,  as  I  look  at  it,  only  he 
can  release  me  from  my  promise." 

"That  is  nonsense,  Mr.  Gary.  As  my  father's  rep 
resentative,  I  accepted  your  parole,  and  I  am  still  act 
ing  for  him  in  returning  it.  I  take  upon  myself  the 
entire  responsibility ;  I,  too,  am  Czareska,"  she  con 
cluded,  proudly. 

A  door  of  escape  had  opened  before  me — was  I  not 
fully  justified  in  making  use  of  it?  I  had  been 
trapped  unfairly,  and  I  was  entitled  to  turn  the  tables 
in  kind  if  I  could.  But  as  the  game  stood  now,  I  had 
only  to  pick  up  the  card  that  had  fallen  from  my  ad 
versary's  hand.  And,  finally,  as  mademoiselle  had 
said,  it  was  she  who  was  responsible. 

So  here  at  last  the  road  had  forked  once  and  for 
all.  Half  a  dozen  steps,  and  I  should  be  in  a  position 
to  claim  my  country's  powerful  protection.  I  could 
take  the  night  mail  to  London  ;  Saturday  would  see 
me  on  the  steamer,  and  in  a  week  later  I  could  report 
at  the  office  of  the  New  World.  I  could  cable  my 
coming,  and  the  chief  would  certainly  hold  my  place 
open  until  I  could  make  my  explanations  in  person. 
It  would  be  the  tread-mill  again,  but  we  all  have  to  do 
our  share  of  grinding  somewhere,  and  the  New  World 
people  were  not  hard  taskmasters.  In  the  natural 
order  of  events  I  might  count  upon  promotion  to  the 
editorial  chair  ;  the  chief  was  getting  old,  and  the 

52 


THE    PARTING    OF    THE    WAYS 

owners  had  as  good  as  offered  me  the  step.    I  was  a  fool 
to  even  hesitate — for  me  there  was  but  the  one  road. 

I  had  no  real  abiding-place  in  this  great  world,  with 
its  doubt  and  mystery  and  vague  alarms.  These 
people  were  not  my  people,  nor  were  their  ways  my 
ways.  One  may  easily  grow  dizzy  in  breathing  the 
thin  air  of  high  altitudes,  and  while  the  view  from 
the  lower  levels  is  not  so  extensive,  one  can  walk 
there  more  comfortably.  Yes  ;  I  would  hesitate  no 
longer — I  would  go,  and  at  once. 

We  had  risen  to  our  feet,  and  the  light  from  the 
doorway  fell  full  on  my  companion's  face.  She  had 
dropped  her  inevitable  lorgnette,  and  her  eyes  were 
misty  with  the  soft  indecision,  the  questioning  help 
lessness  peculiar  to  near-sighted  people  when  sudden 
ly  deprived  of  their  mechanical  aids  to  vision.  Now, 
short-sightedness  in  a  man  is  merely  a  defect  that  ac 
centuates  his  natural  awkwardness  ;  with  a  woman,  it 
may  become  the  last,  the  supremest  trick  of  coquetry, 
for  never  is  she  so  essentially  feminine  as  at  the  mo 
ment  in  which  an  unsuspected  weakness  has  been  be 
trayed. 

And  so  it  happened  that  in  a  breath  all  my  fine 
resolutions  had  been  blown  away,  and  I  had  committed 
the  greatest  folly  of  which  a  man  can  be  guilty,  the 
assumption  that  it  has  been  given  to  him  to  read  in 
a  woman's  face  a  secret  of  which  she  herself  is  still 
unconscious.  A  twofold  error,  for  not  only  is  a  man 
the  worst  guesser  in  the  world,  but  no  woman  ever 
allows  an  emotion  to  escape  her  until  she  is  satisfied 
in  her  own  mind  as  to  its  true  character.  And  then 
she  does  not  care  if  all  the  world  knows  it.  This  is 
good  philosophy,  but  I  learned  it  later  on. 

By  this  time  we  had  half  crossed  the  salon,  and  I 
must  do  one  thing  or  the  other.  I  stopped  and  took 
the  plunge  handsomely, 

53 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

"Mrs.  Verriker  will  not  object  if  we  keep  her  wait 
ing  a  few  minutes  longer.  May  I  have  the  honor  of 
this  valse,  mademoiselle  ?" 

"But  the  ambassador  may  not  wait  for  the  end  of 
the  number.  You  are  quite  sure  that  you  will  not 
regret  your  decision  ?" 

"Quite  sure." 

Her  hand  rested  in  mine,  and  a  tendril  of  fine-spun 
hair  was  blown  for  an  instant  across  my  lips.  The 
music  grew  louder,  the  lights  flared  higher  and  higher. 
Half-way  down  the  side  of  the  room  we  cannoned  vio 
lently  into  an  elderly  gentleman  who  was  picking  his 
way  in  short,  spasmodic  rushes  across  the  polished 
parquetry.  One — two,  and  we  had  caught  the  swing 
again.  I  glanced  over  my  shoulder  at  the  open  door 
— the  American  ambassador  had  left  the  ball-room. 


CHAPTER  VII 

A   PAGE   OF   POLITICS 

JHE  ball  at  the  Russian  Embassy  had 
marked  the  last  flicker  of  the  season's 
gayeties.  Already  tout  Paris  was  scatter 
ing  in  every  direction,  and  the  city  would 
soon  be  given  up  entirely  to  the  tourists 
and  the  shopkeepers.  Why  were  we  staying  on  ?  You 
see  that  I  use  the  word  "we"  advisedly.  I  had  en 
listed  definitely  under  the  banner  of  the  Czareskas; 
from  henceforth  their  cause,  their  fortunes  were  to  be 
as  mine  own. 

I  keep  telling  myself  that  I  regret  nothing,  abso 
lutely  nothing,  but  for  all  that  I  am  restless  and  on 
edge  this  morning  after  the  ball.  One  of  the  inevi 
table  conferences  is  going  on  in  the  library,  and  I  am 
consequently  restricted  to  the  four  walls  of  the 
billiard-room.  I  try  to  read,  but  the  words  run  con 
fusedly  together.  I  have  lit  half  a  dozen  cigars,  and 
not  one  of  them  is  fit  to  smoke.  And  yet  we  had 
come  away  from  the  ball  at  an  early  hour,  and  I  had 
not  even  glanced  at  the  supper-table.  Mademoiselle  ! 
but  there  is  no  hope  of  catching  a  glimpse  of  her  until 
dinner-time. 

The  visitor  that  the  General  has  with  him  this  morn 
ing  becomes  indiscreet  when  excited.  He  talks  so 
loudly  that  several  times  I  have  been  able  to  distinguish 
exclamations  and  even  parts  of  sentences.  The  word 

55 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

has  occurred  two  or  three  times,  and  after 
some  effort  I  recall  that  it  is  the  name  of  a  little  semi- 
independent  kingdom  tucked  away  in  a  far  corner  of 
the  great  Soulian  empire.  This  is  interesting,  and, 
having  summoned  Achille,  I  send  him  in  quest  of  a 
gazetteer  and  of  Volume  I.  of  the  Encyclopaedia. 

Yes;  JEtolia  is  nominally  a  tributary  dependency 
of  Soulia,  but  in  reality  it  has  its  own  king  and  autono 
mous  government,  and  ranks  as  one  of  the  fourth-class 
powers  of  Europe.  Twenty  years  ago  the  Soulians 
succeeded  in  reducing  these  fierce  mountaineers  to 
partial  subjection.  Basil  Agricola,  the  fifth  of  that 
name,  was  deposed  and  exiled,  and  his  cousin,  Jehan 
Varsof,  was  elevated  to  the  throne.  Jehan  is  supposed 
to  be  well  under  the  Soulian  thumb,  and  as  a  conse 
quent  he  is  hated  and  despised  by  his  unruly  subjects. 
But  for  Soulian  backing  he  could  not  wear  his  crown 
for  a  single  day ;  moreover,  his  personal  morality  is 
the  fitting  complement  to  his  political  creed ;  he  is 
neither  king  nor  gentleman.  Of  course  the  affair  is 
only  an  unimportant  phase  in  the  vast  complexity  of  the 
Eastern  question,  but  there  are  wheels  within  wheels, 
and  I  wonder  mightily  how  these  things  can  concern 
my  friend,  the  General.  I  puzzled  over  it,  indeed,  the 
whole  afternoon,  in  the  intervals  of  practising  at 
cushion  caroms,  but,  of  course,  I  arrived  at  nothing. 

Mr.  Coventry  dined  with  us,  and  immediately  after 
coffee  was  served  he  carried  the  Chevalier  away  with 
him.  The  General  applied  himself  to  a  mass  of  neg 
lected  correspondence,  and  Mrs.  Verriker  retired  to 
her  room,  pleading  the  excuse  of  a  sick  headache.  I 
took  the  opportunity  of  challenging  mademoiselle 
to  a  match  at  billiards.  She  looked  surprised,  but 
assented,  and  we  made  our  way  to  the  billiard-room, 
it  being  the  last  apartment  in  the  suite,  and  situated 
at  the  extreme  end  of  the  private  hall. 

56 


A    PAGE    OF    POLITICS 

Once  we  were  alone,  I  told  her  the  whole  story  of 
what  I  knew  about  the  disappearance  of  the  "  Cardi 
nal's  Rose." 

"The  proof,"  I  concluded,  "is  locked  up  in  the  safe 
at  the  office  of  the  New  York  Herald,  and  awaits  your 
disposal." 

She  looked  at  me  with  just  the  ripple  of  a  smile  on 
her  lips. 

"  Then  you  do  not  know  that  there  was  a  robbery 
at  the  Herald  office  only  last  night.  Mr.  Coventry 
was  telling  us  about  it  just  before  dinner.  It  seems 
that  the  thieves  made  a  clean  sweep  of  what  was  in 
the  safe — money,  books,  papers — everything." 

"  Well,  mademoiselle,  if  I  am  a  liar,  I  am  a  stupidly 
clumsy  one,  and  deserve  to  be  tripped  up.  I  have 
made  an  incredible  charge  against  the  honor  of  the 
Chevalier  du  Midi,  and  I  have  not  one  iota  of  evi 
dence  with  which  to  back  it  up.  My  blunder  is  un 
pardonable." 

"  One  moment,  Mr.  Gary ;  let  me  think  this  over." 

She  sank  down  upon  the  big  divan,  while  I  made  a 
pretence  of  knocking  the  balls  about  the  table ;  it 
would  not  do  to  forget  entirely  that  we  were  playing 
at  billiards.  Mademoiselle  looked  up,  and  I  crossed 
over  and  stood  waiting. 

"  Can  you  believe,  Mr.  Gary,  that  there  are  cir 
cumstances,  certain  circumstances,  under  which  the 
Chevalier  du  Midi  might  do  such  a  thing  and  yet  be 
within  his  rights  ?  But  perhaps  I  should  speak  more 
definitely." 

"  It  is  not  necessary,  mademoiselle.  If  you  can 
give  him  the  benefit  of  the  doubt,  I  am  only  too  glad 
to  acquiesce." 

"Thank  you,  Mr.  Gary."  And  then,  with  a  sharper 
ring  in  her  voice  :  "Assuming  that  the  jewel  was  taken, 
it  did  not  remain  in  the  Chevalier's  possession  ?" 

57 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

"  No." 

"  What  possible  chance  is  there  for  its  recovery  ?" 

I  considered :  "  The  clew  is  a  slight  one,  and  the 
police — " 

"  It  is  not  a  matter  for  the  police — better,  indeed, 
that  it  should  be  lost  forever." 

"And  yet  its  recovery  means  something  to  you  ?" 

It  was  a  full  half-minute  before  she  answered. 
Then  she  said,  very  quietly  : 

"  It  means  everything." 

"  Then,  if  you  will  give  me  permission,  mademoi 
selle,  I  will  undertake  the  search." 

"  To  find  yourself  in  troubles  that  you  know  not 
of,"  she  said,  lightly.  "  That  is  not  very  business 
like,  Mr.  Gary." 

"  I  don't  mean  it  to  be  a  matter  of  business,"  I  re 
turned,  steadily. 

She  colored,  and  then  laughed  oddly.  "  But  you 
would  still  expect  a  reward  ?" 

"  Perhaps." 

"  Unfortunately,  your  success  in  itself  would  make 
it  impossible  for  me  to  pay  my  debts — that  is,  in  the 
kind  of  coin  that  you  would  care  to  receive.  But 
perhaps  I  speak  in  riddles  ?" 

"And  I  cannot  pretend  to  solve  them." 

"Then  accept  some  serious  advice,  and  keep  out 
of  this  wretched  muddle.  The  thing  is  done,  and  who 
knows  but  that  it  is  better  as  it  is.  And  if  I  am  con 
tent  to  leave  it  so — " 

Well,  if  I  had  understood  the  full  measure  of  her 
words,  would  there  have  been  another  ending  to  the 
story?  Perhaps  so,  and  perhaps  not ;  I  am  rather 
inclined  to  think  that  the  long,  even  strides  of  Fate 
are  not  materially  affected  by  the  pebbles  that  we 
may  cast  upon  her  path,  or  laboriously  seek  to  re 
move  from  it.  If  in  due  time  we  arrive  at  our  des- 

58 


A    PAGE    OF    POLITICS 

tination ;  it  does  not  greatly  matter  what  has  hap 
pened  on  the  way. 

And  yet  it  might  have  made  the  difference  —  the 
words  that  were  just  now  halting  on  her  lips.  The 
next  instant  we  had  started  apart  at  the  sound  of 
that  creaking  board  in  the  passage  outside. 

I  had  the  door  open  as  quickly  as  I  could  get  to  it 
from  around  the  billiard  -  table.  The  corridor  was 
empty  and  silent,  but  far  down  its  dimly  lighted 
length  it  seemed  to  me  that  a  darker  shadow  crept 
for  a  little  space  along  the  wall.  But  I  could  not  be 
sure,  and  now  there  was  nothing  to  be  seen. 

I  stepped  back  into  the  billiard-room  and  walked 
straight  up  to  Mademoiselle  Czareska. 

"  To-morrow,  mademoiselle,  I  shall  ask  the  General 
to  accept  my  parole.  I  am  going  house-hunting." 

She  was  very  pale,  except  that  a  great  spot  of  scarlet 
glowed  on  either  cheek. 

"  But  remember  that  my  father  must  know  nothing 
of  what  you  have  told  me.  True  or  not,  he  must  be 
the  last  person  in  the  world  to  hear  of  anything  that 
touches  the  honor  of  the  Chevalier  du  Midi.  You 
promise  me  this  ?" 

Of  course  I  assented.  Mademoiselle  picked  up  her 
cue  and  chalked  it  thoughtfully. 

"  So  you  are  going  house-hunting.  Will  you  be 
difficult  to  suit  ?" 

"  Oh,  I  fancy  not.  Something  quiet  and  respect 
able  in — say  the  Rue  de  Rennes." 

"  And,  preferably — a  yellow  house  ?" 

"  Assuredly,  mademoiselle  ;  and,  preferably  again — 
the  yellow  house." 


CHAPTER  VIII 

THE    YELLOW    HOUSE 

|HE  Rue  de  Rennes  runs  from  the  Place  St. - 
Germain  to  the  Gare  du  Montparnasse. 
It  is  commonplace  enough  as  streets  go 
on  the  left  bank,  and  I,  who  have  been 
looking  for  something  of  more  than  ordi 
nary  interest,  am  correspondingly  disappointed.  For 
two  hours  I  have  been  riding  to  and  fro  on  the  tops 
of  the  green  omnibuses  that  ply  between  the  Western 
Station  and  Pere  Lachaise,  and  I  have  examined  both 
sides  of  the  Rue  de  Rennes  with  the  most  scrupulous 
attention.  But  I  have  discovered  nothing.  There 
are  dozens  of  houses  covered  with  the  familiar  cream- 
colored  stucco  that  might  pass  for  yellow,  and  there 
are  four  or  five  others  whose  prevailing  tint  is  fairly 
akin  to  saffron.  But  there  is  no  house  that  can  be 
called  positively  yellow,  and  I  am  balked. 

It  was  getting  on  towards  five  o'clock,  and  I  had 
alighted  at  the  corner  of  the  Rue  Coetlogon,  intend 
ing  to  walk  the  few  blocks  to  St.-Germain-des-Pres.  I 
wanted  to  smoke,  but  I  had  used  up  all  my  matches, 
and  I  was  consequently  looking  out  for  a  tobacconist's 
shop. 

After  all,  and  in  spite  of  my  disappointment,  I  was 
enjoying  the  outing.  It  was  over  two  weeks  since  I 
had  made  my  first  call  upon  "  Mr.  Smith,"  and  it 
seemed  good  to  be  in  the  open  air  again.  And  this 

60 


THE    YELLOW    HOUSE 

was  Paris  in  early  summer  :  the  white  stuccoed  houses 
shone  resplendent  in  the  sunlight,  and  the  gay  window- 
boxes  of  flowers  smiled  upon  every  side.  Truly  it  was 
good  to  be  alive  on  such  a  day  as  this.  By  this  time 
I  was  nearing  the  Rue  du  Vieux  Colombier,  and  I  saw 
the  long-desired  tobacco-shop  on  the  other  side  of  the 
street.  I  was  about  to  cross  over,  when  I  happened 
to  notice  the  number  of  the  house  that  I  was  passing. 
It  was  82.  Now  the  numeral  82  was  that  of  my  col 
lege  class,  and  I  never  see  it  in  any  connection  with 
out  giving  it  at  least  momentary  attention.  I  glanced 
up  at  the  windows ;  what  gorgeous  geraniums  !  There 
was  a  box  of  the  flowers  in  every  one  of  the  first  and 
second  story  windows,  and,  being  in  full  bloom,  they 
made  a  magnificent  blaze  of  color.  I  have  a  barbaric 
sort  of  fondness  for  red,  it  is  so  full  of  warmth  and 
life,  and  I  pulled  up  short  to  feast  my  eyes  on  the 
show.  As  I  stood  there,  a  second -story  casement 
opened,  and  an  old  man  appeared  with  a  watering-pot. 
High  as  he  was  above  me,  I  could  see  that  he  had  a 
face  and  head  not  unlike  the  portraits  of  the  Abbe" 
Listz.  A  gentle,  kindly  old  man,  pottering  peacefully 
among  his  beloved  flowers  on  this  perfect  summer 
day,  his  white  locks  contrasting  sharply  with  the  scarlet 
of  the  geraniums — really  a  pretty  picture. 

Something  fluttered  through  the  air  and  fell  on  the 
pavement  at  my  feet.  Ah  !  he  must  have  acciden 
tally  snapped  off  a  stem,  and  the  flower  was  treasure- 
trove  for  my  button -hole.  I  stepped  forward  and 
picked  it  up.  It  was  not  a  geranium  at  all,  but  an 
artificial  affair  of  colored  paper  and  cloth,  such  as 
are  made  by  the  thousand  in  Paris  for  use  in  mil 
linery. 

Well,  I  may  be  over-sensitive,  but  the  discovery 
gave  me  a  peculiarly  disagreeable  shock.  Of  course, 
there  can  be  nothing  immoral  about  the  use  of  arti- 

61 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

ficial  flowers  under  ordinary  circumstances.  No  one 
is  likely  to  be  deceived  by  the  enormous  conserva 
tories  that  the  milliners  delight  in  loading  upon  their 
creations,  and  the  practice  is  consequently  a  mere 
matter  of  taste.  But  to  stick  these  flaunting  imita 
tions  into  good,  honest  earth,  to  water  and  care  for 
them  as  though  they  were  really  part  of  the  creation 
which  God,  having  looked  upon,  had  declared  to  be 
very  good — this,  I  say,  was  a  thing  almost  too  mon 
strous  for  belief.  The  deception  was  so  pitiful,  so 
inutile ;  and  yet  there  must  have  been  some  ulterior 
object  in  the  wretched  farce.  Perhaps  the  artificial 
geraniums  were  cheaper  in  the  end  than  the  real 
ones ;  but  why  was  it  necessary  to  have  flowers  at 
all  ? — unless,  indeed,  that  No.  82  might  in  no  partic 
ular  be  distinguishable  from  its  neighbors  on  either 
side. 

I  looked  up  once  again,  and  my  gaze  fell  upon  a 
portion  of  the  wall  partially  concealed  by  the  over 
hanging  balcony.  Strange  that  I  had  not  noticed 
that  the  building  had  been  recently  stuccoed  over, 
or  at  least  repainted.  Here  was  a  little  piece  that 
the  brush  of  the  workman  had  failed  to  reach — the 
original  color  stood  out  vividly,  an  unmistakable 
yellow. 

M.  Philippe  Ribot,  the  proprietor  of  the  tobacco- 
shop,  was  a  most  urbane  personage,  and  he  seemed 
to  take  an  unaffected  pleasure  in  supplying  me  with 
a  sou's  worth  of  vestas.  It  was  not  difficult  to  en 
gage  him  in  conversation,  and  of  course  he  knew 
everything  about  the  neighborhood  and  its  inhab 
itants. 

"  The  house  opposite,  at  No.  82  ?  Why,  yes ;  Mat- 
tre  Vauclot  lives  there.  You  can  see  his  name  in  full 
on  the  silver  plate  underneath  the  bell-pull — '  Maitre 
Etienne  Vauclot,  Ecrivain  Public.' " 

62 


"  •;  IIK    VKI.I.u\V    111  'I   !• 


THE    YELLOW    HOUSE 

"  Ecrivain  Public?" 

"  Precisely,  m'sieu.  Business  transacted,  petitions 
drawn  up,  accounts  audited,  letters  written  —  what 
you  will.  And  all  with  secrecy  and  despatch." 

"A  good  neighbor,  I  suppose?" 

"A  most  estimable  man,  m'sieu.  His  services  are 
at  the  disposal  of  all — and  not  a  centime  to  pay  un 
til  the  affair  is  concluded  satisfactorily.  And  what 
a  beautiful  hand  he  writes !  You  will  not  find  that 
sort  of  a  man  everywhere." 

The  door  opened,  and  a  woman  literally  flung  her 
self  into  the  shop.  I  tried  to  follow  what  she  was 
saying,  but  her  clipped  and  rapid  vocables  were  too 
much  for  my  unaccustomed  ear.  And  M.  Ribot's 
answer  was  equally  unintelligible. 

The  woman  threw  up  her  hands,  a  tragic  gesture 
of  disappointment,  and  rushed  out  as  precipitately 
as  she  had  entered.  A  rapidly  growing  crowd  of 
sympathizing  friends  and  lookers-on  awaited  her, 
and  the  procession  passed  on  to  the  next  shop. 

M.  Ribot  looked  perplexed,  even  worried.  He  re 
moved  his  ridiculous  fez,  which  he  probably  wore 
out  of  respect  to  the  fragrant  Egyptian  weed  that 
he  did  not  sell,  and  rubbed  his  shiny  forehead  with 
an  equally  shiny  cuff. 

"It  is  too  bad,"  he  said,  gently.  "A  most  excel 
lent  woman  is  Mile.  Agathe,  and  she  adores  her  rascal 
of  a  nephew." 

"An  accident?" 

"Who  can  tell,  m'sieu.  You  see  he  is  at  service 
over  there — the  rive  droit,  you  comprehend.  Regu 
larly  every  Saturday  afternoon  he  comes  to  see  his 
aunt ;  she  has  always  been  like  a  mother  to  him,  and 
her  house  is  his  home." 

"Well?" 

"  It  is  now  five  o'clock,  and  he  is  never  later  than 
63 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

three  at  the  outside — the  sun  itself  is  not  more  punc 
tual.  Besides,  he  was  seen  some  two  hours  ago  stand 
ing  at  the  corner  of  the  Rue  du  Vieux  Colombier.  It 
is  really  most  perplexing." 

"One  would  think  you  were  speaking  of  a  lost 
child,"  I  said,  jocularly.  "A  grown-up  man  stops  to 
light  his  cigarette  in  broad  daylight  at  the  corner  of 
one  of  the  most  crowded  of  Paris  streets.  Suddenly 
he  disappears  like  a  stone  thrown  into  a  pond — this 
is  not  reasonable,  my  friend." 

"  Nevertheless,  it  is  two  hours  now,  and  he  is  still 
missing,"  returned  the  tobacconist.  "And  that  makes 
the  fourth  within  a  month,"  he  concluded,  staring  at 
me  with  frightened,  wide-opened  eyes. 

"The  fourth!" 

"Assuredly,  m'sieu.  There  was  Victor  Berger,  of 
the  War  Office,  Gillaudet,  the  perfumer,  and  old 
Madame  Meibel.  Three,  m'sieu,  since  the  first  of  the 
month,  and  that  fine  young  man  makes  the  fourth." 

"  Nonsense  !     They  will  return." 

"  Ah,  but  they  do  not.  And  here  in  Paris,  m'sieu, 
people  do  not  willingly  leave  their  homes  and  families, 
all  without  a  word." 

"But  the  police — are  they  doing  nothing?" 

"  What  is  there  for  the  police  to  do  ?  They  cannot 
see  into  the  depths  of  the  earth,  nor  through  stone 
walls.  And  yet  m'sieu  is  right,  undoubtedly  ;  the 
missing  ones  will  return  in  good  time,  and  all  will  be 
well." 

"Yes;  all  will  be  well,"  I  assented,  mechanically. 
My  cigar  was  drawing  badly,  and  I  had  mislaid  my 
box  of  vestas. 

"  There,  now  !  If  m'sieu  will  be  kind  enough  to 
observe,  Monsieur  Vauclot  is  standing  at  the  door." 

I  looked,  and  saw  two  men  at  the  entrance  of  the 
"  yellow  house."  The  old  man,  with  his  white  hair 

64 


THE    YELLOW    HOUSE 

tucked  under  a  silk  skull-cap,  was  the  same  whom  I 
had  seen  at  the  windows.  He  must  be  Maitre  Vau- 
clot.  And  the  other  ?  It  was  the  "  Pompadour  "  at 
last. 

The  two  men  stood  talking  for  a  few  moments,  and 
then  the  elder  retired  into  the  house,  while  my  man 
started  briskly  down  the  street.  I  was  after  him 
instantly,  unheeding  sundry  vociferous  reminders 
that  I  was  forgetting  both  my  purchases  and  my 
change.  I  had  had  a  good  view  of  the  fellow,  and  I 
was  sure  that  "  Monsieur  Pompadour  "  was  none  other 
than  Mr.  Giles  Coventry  in  disguise.  The  general 
resemblance  was  enough  for  me  in  spite  of  the  dif 
ference  made  by  the  red  wig  ti  la  pompadour.  The 
scoundrel !  I  would  unmask  him  on  the  spot.  I  no 
longer  stopped  to  think  or  to  reason.  A  dozen  more 
steps,  and  I  was  at  his  side,  and  had  touched  his  arm. 
He  turned  and  confronted  me. 

"  Mr.  Coventry,  I  believe,"  speaking  as  coolly  as  I 
could. 

There  was  just  the  faintest  quiver  of  an  eyelid  ;  I 
saw  it,  and  exulted.  Then  he  gathered  himself  in 
stantly. 

"  Monsieur  is  mistaken,"  he  said,  calmly. 

"I  am  not  mistaken,"  I  retorted.  "You  are  Giles 
Coventry,  wig  and  all.  Allow  me,"  and  I  deliberately 
knocked  off  his  hat  and  gave  a  contemptuous  tug  to 
one  of  the  fiery-red  locks.  Appalling  blunder  !  It 
was  the  man's  own  hair.  He  was  no  more  disguised 
than  I  myself. 

I  stammered  out  something  by  way  of  apology,  and 
he  listened  imperturbably. 

"  The  explanation  is  hardly  satisfactory,"  he  said, 
coldly  ;  "but  you  are  young,  and  it  is  possible  that  it 
was  a  simple  mistake.  We  will  let  it  go  at  that."  He 
bowed,  swung  round  on  his  heel  with  military  pre- 

£  65 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

cision,  and  disappeared  down  a  side  street,  while  I 
stood  staring  after  him,  with  my  senses  as  far  abroad 
as  though  I  had  been  struck  with  a  bludgeon. 

During  my  walk  home  I  had  ample  leisure  in  which 
to  assure  myself  that  I  had  been  an  idiot  profound 
and  unmitigated.  Even  assuming  that  I  had  been 
right,  and  that  "  Pompadour  "  was  Coventry  in  dis 
guise,  what  possible  advantage  could  I  have  gained 
by  unmasking  him  ?  In  doing  so  I  should  simply  be 
putting  him  on  his  guard,  and  making  the  recovery  of 
the  "  Cardinal's  Rose  "  still  more  remote.  In  a  case 
like  this,  the  detection  and  punishment  of  a  criminal 
was  a  matter  of  secondary  importance,  if,  indeed,  it 
was  to  be  thought  of  at  all.  What  I  wanted  was  the 
great  ruby  itself,  and,  having  lighted  by  chance  upon 
so  promising  a  clew,  I  must  go  and  spoil  everything 
by  making  an  open  adversary  of  a  man  whose  very 
acquaintance  I  should  have  steadfastly  avoided. 
"  Pompadour  "  might  not  be  Mr.  Giles  Coventry  in 
disguise,  but  he  was  certainly  the  accomplice  in  the 
affair  of  Dover  pier,  and  I  might  have  been  able  to 
use  that  knowledge  to  some  advantage.  It  was  too 
bad! 

Coventry  came  to  dinner  that  night,  and  I  felt 
almost  ashamed  to  look  at  him.  It  seemed  as  though 
he  must  know  of  the  suspicions  that  I  had  enter 
tained,  and  yet  I  had  surely  some  justification  for  my 
mistake.  Strange,  how  every  trick  of  eye  and  man 
ner  irresistibly  recalled  the  image  of  his  double  of  the 
Rue  de  Rennes !  But  the  embarrassment  was  all  on 
my  side.  Never  had  Coventry  been  in  so  brilliant  a 
humor,  and  his  flashes  of  wit  were  so  incessant  as  to 
suggest  to  mademoiselle  the  propriety  of  having  the 
wax  candles  removed.  And  insensibly  the  memory 
of  my  recent  humiliation  faded  away,  and  we  were 
all  merry  together. 

66 


THE    YELLOW    HOUSE 

Some  one  suggested  fencing,  and  we  adjourned  to 
the  billiard-room  for  coffee.  At  the  far  end  there 
was  enough  of  clear  space  for  the  use  of  the  foils,  and 
the  high  divans  that  lined  the  walls  made  comfort 
able  vantage-points  for  the  spectators.  The  General 
did  me  the  honor  of  crossing  swords  for  a  brief  as 
sault,  and  I  acquitted  myself  remarkably  well  for  a 
novice.  Indeed,  the  Chevalier  was  so  proud  of  his 
pupil  that  he  insisted  upon  backing  me  for  an  encoun 
ter  with  Coventry.  I  could  do  no  less  than  assent, 
and  Coventry,  after  some  amiable  haggling  over  the 
stakes,  which  mademoiselle  was  to  hold,  picked  up  a 
foil  and  intimated,  smilingly,  that  my  doom  was 
sealed. 

Of  course  we  both  wore  the  ordinary  wire  mask  to 
protect  the  face  and  eyes  against  accidental  injury, 
but,  since  the  night  was  warm,  I  had  discarded  the 
heavy  plastron  for  a  skeleton-jacket,  as  being  more 
comfortable.  Hardly  had  the  blades  rung  together  in 
the  salute  than  mademoiselle  cried,  "Halte  !  "  Her 
quick  eye  had  discovered  that  the  button  on  Coven 
try's  foil  was  loose,  and  consequently  unsafe.  Several 
days  ago  du  Midi  had  noticed  that  the  foil  needed 
attention,  and  had  placed  it  by  itself  at  the  extreme 
right  of  the  rack,  intending  to  have  the  repair  made 
at  the  first  opportunity.  But  the  matter  had  been 
forgotten,  and  Fate,  with  her  usual  perversity,  had 
apparently  guided  Coventry's  hand  to  the  one  weapon 
out  of  the  dozen  that  was  not  in  proper  condition  for 
use.  Lucky,  indeed,  that  mademoiselle  was  present 
and  had  been  able  to  point  out  the  mistake  before  any 
harm  was  done. 

Mrs.  Verriker  had  drawn  mademoiselle  aside  upon 
some  trifling  pretext,  and  Coventry,  replacing  the 
imperfect  foil  in  the  rack,  chose  another,  and  engaged 
me  without  any  further  preliminaries.  I  soon  real- 

67 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

ized  that  he  was  my  master,  and  it  was  only  my 
agility  and  an  uncommonly  good  eye  that  enabled 
me  to  hold  my  ground  in  the  first  few  minutes.  I 
knew  that  he  was  playing  with  me,  but  it  was  only 
little  by  little  that  I  realized  the  deadly  purpose  be 
hind  that  cool  deliberation  of  thrust  and  parry.  I 
did  not  have  to  look  at  the  rack  of  foils  to  be  assured 
that  he  had  only  pretended  to  exchange  his  weapon, 
and  that  at  any  moment  his  naked  point  might  be 
opposed  to  my  unprotected  breast.  In  fencing,  the 
cardinal  principle  is  that  you  must  never  lose  sight 
of  your  adversary's  eyes,  and  in  Coventry's  I  could 
read  the  truth.  He  had  intentionally  repossessed 
himself  of  the  foil  with  the  loosened  button,  and  my 
death  was  the  logical  consequent  of  his  act.  I  must 
die,  and  he  was  only  waiting  to  be  sure  that  when  he 
did  strike  it  should  be  in  the  right  place. 

His  eyes  told  me  all  this  without  bravado,  and  yet 
without  the  slightest  attempt  at  concealment.  He 
was  giving  me  fair  warning  of  his  purpose,  as  the 
least  thing  that  a  gentleman  could  do  under  the  cir 
cumstances  ;  but  there  was  no  hint  of  hesitancy  in 
that  look.  It  was  necessary  that  I  should  be  put  out 
of  the  way,  and  the  lot  had  fallen  upon  him.  He 
might  regret  the  necessity,  but  he  would  not  dis 
pute  it. 

The  mind  works  with  infinite  rapidity  at  times  of 
great  stress,  and  all  that  I  have  written  down  here  had 
been  consciously  thought  out  during  the  last  second 
or  two  in  which  he  had  been  steadily  forcing  me  back 
to  the  side  wall.  My  parries  were  growing  weaker  as 
his  thrusts  grew  stronger.  I  could  feel  that  the  loos 
ened  button  had  been  finally  stripped  from  the  point 
of  my  adversary's  foil;  he  was  only  waiting  to  be  cer 
tain  of  his  aim  before  giving  the  final  lunge. 

It  was  coming  now,  sure  and  strong,  and  my  feeble 
68 


THE    YELLOW    HOUSE 

parry  would  be  twisted  aside  as  though  it  were  a  wisp 
of  straw.  And  yet  I  must  attempt  it,  for  since  a  man 
can  die  but  once,  it  is  fitting  that  he  should  die  like  a 
man.  I  could  feel  his  blade  worming  inside  my  guard, 
and  then  in  an  instant  my  right  foot  had  slipped,  and 
I  was  down  on  one  knee,  while  Coventry's  foil,  just 
grazing  my  left  shoulder,  shivered  itself  into  half  a 
dozen  pieces  against  the  hard  brick  of  the  partition 
wall. 

The  Chevalier  laughed  triumphantly  as  he  assisted 
me  to  rise,  and  declared  that  I  had  more  than  ful 
filled  his  predictions.  Here  I  stood,  untouched,  while 
Coventry  had  actually  disarmed  himself ;  the  stakes 
had  been  fairly  won,  and  he  should  call  upon  madem 
oiselle  to  hand  them  over. 

I  was  feeling  a  bit  tremulous  and  shaky,  but  I  man 
aged  to  smile  back  at  him,  and  a  moment  after  Cov 
entry  came  up  and  spoke  very  handsomely  of  my 
fencing  abilities.  All  I  needed  was  practice  and  a 
little  more  suppleness  in  wrist-work.  He  himself 
would  be  glad  to  put  me  up  to  a  few  wrinkles  at  any 
time,  and  with  that  he  actually  held  out  his  hand. 
And  I  took  it — there  was  really  nothing  else  to  do. 
The  bold  blue  eyes  smiled  frankly  into  mine  ;  the 
sincerity  of  his  present  attitude  was  absolute,  equally 
so  with  the  deadliness  of  his  unaccomplished  purpose. 
I  accepted  the  one  as  I  had  the  other,  and  we  shook 
hands. 

As  we  went  out  to  the  drawing-room  for  a  rubber 
at  whist,  Coventry  pressed  something  into  my  hand. 
"  For  a  souvenir,"  he  whispered.  It  was  the  button 
from  off  his  foil.  So  it  seems  that  we  understand 
each  other  ;  well,  so  much  the  better. 

Postscript. — It  was  Vital  who  attended  me  to-night 
instead  of  Achille,  who  had  originally  been  assigned 
to  my  personal  service.  In  answer  to  my  inquiry, 

69 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

Vital  informed  me  that  Achille  had  left  the  house 
about  noon  for  his  free  half-day,  but  had  failed  to  re 
turn  at  the  usual  hour.  Odd  !  for  he  had  given  no 
hint  that  he  wanted  to  leave  his  place,  and  he  had 
taken  away  none  of  his  belongings.  The  General 
was  much  annoyed,  and  had  notified  the  police  de 
partment  of  his  disappearance. 

"  Disappearance,  eh  !     According  to  M.  Ribot,  that 
makes  No.  5,"  I  said  to  myself,  as  I  jumped  into  bed. 


CHAPTER  IX 

THE   MAHOGANY   CLOTHES-PRESS 

was  four  o'clock  on  the  following 
afternoon  when  I  found  myself  again 
in  the  Rue  de  Rennes.  I  had  been  able 
to  secure  a  few  minutes'  private  con 
versation  with  mademoiselle  during  the 
morning,  and  had  told  her  of  my  discoveries  —  of 
everything,  indeed,  except  my  blunder  in  trying  to 
identify  the  "  Pompadour  "  with  Mr.  Giles  Coventry. 
If  that  mistake  were  to  do  any  harm,  we  should  know 
of  it  soon  enough,  and  otherwise  there  was  no  use  in 
discussing  it. 

"And  now,  mademoiselle."  I  concluded,  "I  am  go 
ing  to  make  an  attempt  this  afternoon  to  learn  the 
secret  of  the  '  yellow  house.'  I  have  no  particular 
plan,  but  somehow  I  shall  get  inside  its  doors.  After 
that  I  shall  be  lucky  or  unlucky,  as  Fate  may  dispose 
the  lot.  Finally,  if  I  do  not  return  by  ten  o'clock  of 
to-morrow,  Monday  morning,  you  may  take  such 
action  as  may  seem  best." 

She  looked  at  me  out  of  grave  and  troubled  eyes. 
"  If  you  succeed,  Mr.  Gary,  you  will  do  so  without  my 
assistance;  and  if  you  fail,  there  is  no  way  in  which  I 
can  help  you.  You  must  understand  this  clearly." 

"So  I  have  everything  to  lose  and  nothing  to 
gain,"  I  retorted,  with  just  the  accent  of  bitterness 
in  my  voice. 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

She  flashed  back  at  me.  "You  made  your  choice 
at  the  embassy  ball,  and  you  confirmed  it  on  the 
night  when  we  played  at  billiards.  Even  now  you 
have  still  time  to  turn  back,  if  you  will." 

"One  moment,  mademoiselle.  I  intend  to  go  on 
with  my  task,  and  I  will  tell  you  why.  Up  to  a  month 
ago  I  was  a  foot-passenger  upon  the  common  high 
road  of  life.  It  is  safe  walking  there,  but  the  hedges 
are  too  high  to  look  over,  and  so  it  grows  monoto 
nous.  Now  I  have  been  offered  the  reins  and  the 
box-seat,  and  the  temptation  is  too  strong  to  be  re 
sisted.  The  course  may  be  a  long  one,  or  it  may  end 
just  around  the  first  curve.  But  in  either  case  it  will 
be  a  fast  ride,  and  I  shall  have  an  excellent  view  of 
the  scenery.  Have  I,  in  turn,  made  myself  under 
stood?" 

"  I  understand,"  she  said,  simply,  and  held  out  her 
hand.  And  so  we  parted,  and  I  went  on  my  way  to 
the  "  yellow  house."  If  only  Chance  himself  might 
be  waiting  for  me  on  the  threshold  ! 

As  I  have  said,  it  was  four  o'clock  when  I  reached 
the  Rue  de  Rennes,  and  the  street  looked  compara 
tively  deserted.  The  bourgeoisie  were  all  taking  their 
Sunday  pleasures  at  Passy  and  Neuilly.  Even  my 
friend,  the  tobacconist,  had  drawn  down  his  shades, 
and  was  doubtless  engaged  in  drinking  his  bock  at 
some  gayly  painted  cabaret  upon  the  lower  river. 
Paris  at  this  hour  of  the  day  was  quiet  and  Sunday- 
like,  even  when  judged  by  New  England  standards. 

Arrived  at  the  neighborhood  of  No.  82,  I  made  a 
careful  examination  of  its  exterior.  The  building 
was  one  of  four  stories  in  height,  and  had  an  ell  at 
the  back  that  ran  to  the  side  street,  there  being  but 
one  house  between  No.  82  and  the  corner.  The 
ground  floor  had  once  been  used  as  a  shop,  but  the 
door  and  windows  had  been  boarded  up,  and  it  had 

72 


THE    MAHOGANY    CLOTHES-PRESS 

evidently  been  unoccupied  for  a  long  time.  Appar 
ently  Maitre  Vauclot  needed  and  used  the  entire 
house,  and  he  was  doubtless  rich  enough  to  afford 
the  eccentricity.  There  was  really  nothing  in  the 
outward  appearance  of  the  "  yellow  house  "  to  dis 
tinguish  it  from  its  neighbors.  There  were  lace  cur 
tains  and  heavy  hangings  at  all  the  windows  in  the 
stories  above  the  street,  and  it  was  impossible  to  see 
into  the  rooms.  But  it  all  looked  deadly  respectable 
here  in  the  heart  of  commonplace  Paris  on  a  sleepy 
Sunday  afternoon.  For  a  moment  I  forgot  myself 
and  my  errand,  and  wondered  idly  at  my  interest  in 
prosaic-looking  No.  82.  What  the  devil  was  I  doing 
in  this  galley?  Then  my  glance  rested  again  upon 
the  scarlet  glories  of  those  gay  window-boxes,  and  I 
remembered.  And  a  little  shiver  ran  across  my 
shoulders,  albeit  it  was  July  and  the  sun  was  hot 
upon  my  back. 

My  plan  for  gaining  admission  to  the  house  was 
simple  enough.  Dressed  in  ordinary  workman  garb, 
I  should  represent  myself  as  needing  the  services  of  a 
scrivener  to  compose  a  letter  to  my  sister  in  Alsaoe. 
The  fact  that  I  came  from  a  German-speaking  coun 
try  would  excuse  my  accent,  and  I  should  not  pass 
myself  off  as  illiterate — that  pretension  might  be  a 
difficult  one  to  support.  The  sprained  right  wrist 
which  I  carried  in  a  sling  made  from  a  silk  handker 
chief  must  account  for  my  needing  the  services  of 
an  amanuensis.  Once  inside  —  but  that  would  take 
care  of  itself.  I  crossed  the  street,  and  stood  before 
the  door  of  No.  82.  Once,  twice,  and  then  three  times 
I  wrenched  at  the  rusty  bell-pull  before  the  summons 
was  answered.  Then  the  door  opened  part  way  (for 
the  chain  had  been  kept  on),  and  a  man's  face  looked 
out  at  me. 

It  was  not  an  engaging  countenance  upon  which  I 
73 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

gazed  in  turn.  The  yellow,  parchment-like  skin  was 
stretched  as  tightly  as  a  drum-head  over  the  promi 
nent  cheek-bones,  and  the  scanty  eyebrows  and  beard 
were  added  characteristics  of  a  Mongolian  physiog 
nomy.  And  yet,  when  I  had  a  chance  to  see  him  on 
several  subsequent  occasions,  I  became  convinced 
that  he  was  not  an  Oriental  at  all,  but  as  purely 
Western  as  myself.  The  racial  resemblance  was  sim 
ply  a  curious  divergence  from  type,  and  was  but  skin- 
deep.  Nature  often  amuses  herself. 

The  man's  eyes  were  extraordinarily  bright  and 
piercing,  and  he  kept  them  unwinkingly  upon  me 
as  I  explained  my  errand.  Was  M.  Vauclot  at  home  ? 

For  an  answer  the  door  was  deliberately  slammed 
in  my  face,  and  I  made  up  my  mind  that  the  acting 
of  a  part  was  not  one  of  my  accomplishments.  It  was 
only,  however,  for  the  purpose  of  unfastening  the 
chain,  for  a  moment  later  the  door  was  reopened,  and 
the  adventure  had  begun.  The  servant  did  not  speak, 
but  he  gave  a  guttural  croak  that  I  interpreted  into 
an  invitation  to  enter. 

It  was  a  vaulted  passage,  some  thirty  feet  in  length, 
through  which  we  passed,  and  it  led  to  an  inte 
rior  court-yard  of  perhaps  fifty  feet  long  by  thirty 
wide. 

On  three  sides  it  was  bordered  by  the  dead  walls  of 
neighboring  houses,  while  on  the  fourth  was  the  real 
entrance  to  No.  82.  Pale,  unwholesome-looking  weeds 
grew  between  the  cracks  of  the  paving-stones,  and  in 
a  far  corner  stood  half  a  dozen  lemon-trees  and  rub 
ber-plants,  all  dead  and  withered  in  their  paint-blis 
tered  boxes.  Outside  the  sun  was  still  high  in  the 
sky,  but  not  a  ray  reached  to  the  bottom  of  this 
gloomy  well-hole.  Possibly  for  an  hour  or  two  at  mid 
day  the  sunshine  might  fall  upon  these  cold,  clamp 
slabs,  but  one  imagined  that  it  got  away  at  the  earli- 

74 


THE    MAHOGANY    CLOTHES-PRESS 

est  possible  moment.  Perhaps,  too,  the  court-yard 
resented  the  intrusion  upon  its  sickly  privacy. 

Through  a  heavy  oak  door  and  up  a  flight  of  stairs, 
and  I  was  ushered  into  a  large  first-floor  room.  There 
the  servant  left  me,  still  without  saying  a  word,  and  I 
had  a  chance  to  study  my  surroundings. 

The  apartment  was  a  spacious  one,  and  it  occupied 
the  entire  front  of  the  house.  Consequently,  it  was 
built  above  the  vaulted  entrance  passage,  and  in  ad 
dition  to  its  windows  that  looked  on  the  street,  it  had 
one  that  opened  upon  the  court  -  yard.  The  ceiling 
was  high,  and  the  walls,  wainscoted  in  stained  oak, 
were  lined  with  book-shelves.  The  house  was  prob 
ably  an  old  one,  but  the  fittings  of  the  room  were 
solid,  even  handsome  of  their  kind,  and  the  furnish 
ing  was  in  correspondence. 

There  was  a  big  table,  strewn  with  tape  -  bound 
papers,  at  the  far  end  of  the  room,  and  also  a  cabinet- 
press  that  seemed  to  be  filled  with  pigeon  -  holes. 
Clearly  this  was  Maitre  Vauclot's  study,  or  office,  if 
you  prefer. 

He  had  entered  so  quietly  that  I  had  not  been 
aware  of  his  presence  until  I  found  him  standing  at 
my  side,  and  regarding  me  intently.  It  gave  me  a 
dislike  to  the  man  at  once  ;  it  is  a  good  general  prin 
ciple  to  be  distrustful  of  people  whose  boots  never 
creak. 

It  was  a  strong  face,  no  doubt  of  that,  and,  with 
its  crown  of  whitened  hair,  it  was  still  wonderfully 
like  that  of  Liszt.  And  yet  different ;  there  were  cer 
tain  lines  in  it  which  I  had  not  noticed  from  the 
street.  I  wondered  if  I  should  be  able  to  read  be 
tween  them. 

I  stated  my  request,  and  he  assented  with  a  curt 
nod,  and  seated  himself  at  the  big  table.  Now,  I  had 
carefully  composed  the  few  sentences  of  my  mythical 

75 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

letter,  even  putting  in  a  few  blunders  by  way  of  artis 
tic  effect.  I  had  only  to  stammer  and  hesitate  a  lit 
tle  in  the  delivery,  and  the  part  would  be  perfectly 
played.  Unfortunately,  I  made  one  blunder  too  many. 
I  began,  in  clear  and  well-modulated  tones  :  "  My  dear 
sister — "  and  then  stopped  in  genuine  confusion.  I 
had  spoken  in  English. 

Vauclot  looked  up  sharply  at  me.  With  presence 
of  mind  I  might  still  have  carried  off  the  slip,  but  my 
wits  went  scattering  like  a  cloud  of  feathers.  There 
I  sat,  flushing  up  to  the  eyes,  and  nervously  twirling 
in  my  supposedly  injured  right  hand  my  heavy  walk 
ing-stick. 

The  man  sitting  opposite  to  me  crumpled  up  in  his 
hand  the  sheet  of  note-paper,  and  tossed  it  contemptu 
ously  into  the  waste-basket. 

"  Go,"  he  said,  harshly. 

Out  of  very  shame  at  being  entrapped  so  easily,  I 
tried  to  explain,  to  protest.  He  cut  me  short,  curtly. 
"It  would  be  poor  policy  for  me  to  spoil  so  clumsy  a 
tool.  Get  back  to  your  employers,  but  do  not  presume 
again  upon  your  good  fortune.  Perroquet,  the  door." 

There  was  nothing  else  to  do,  and  I  left  the  room 
in  bitterness  of  spirit.  I  had  had  my  chance,  and  I 
had  failed  at  the  first  throw.  In  another  minute  I 
should  be  in  the  street,  and  the  u yellow  house" 
would  keep  its  secrets.  Ah,  what  a  wretched  bungler 
I  had  proved  myself  !  And  yet,  as  I  passed  into  the 
comparative  coolness  of  the  corridor,  the  sense  of 
overwhelming  depression  suddenly  cleared  away,  quite 
as  though  it  had  been  a  part  of  the  material  atmos 
phere  of  Maitre  Vauclot's  office.  And  then,  as  my 
pulse  leaped  to  its  normal  beat  and  my  hands  ceased 
to  twitch,  I  found  my  courage  and  resolution  return 
ing.  Give  me  but  the  smallest  foothold,  and  I  would 
yet  pluck  the  beard  of  this  insolent  Maitre  Vanclot. 

76 


"A   VIOLENT    SHOVE,    FULL    IN    THE    CHEST" 


THE    MAHOGANY   CLOTHES-PRESS 

The  servant  stood  back  as  I  passed  into  the  hall, 
and  followed  close  upon  me  as  I  descended  the  stairs. 
My  mind  was  working  rapidly  now,  and  when  the  in 
spiration  came  I  was  ready  to  seize  it.  It  was  only  a 
bare  chance,  but  I  jumped  at  it  without  the  smallest 
hesitation. 

To  understand  the  situation  you  must  know  that 
the  vaulted  passage  leading  from  the  street  to  the 
court-yard  was  unlighted,  and  I  had  found  it  so  dark 
upon  my  entrance  that  I  had  been  obliged  to  feel  my 
way  along  the  wall.  It  was  under  cover  of  this  same 
semi-darkness  that  I  now  prepared  to  play  my  ruse. 

We  had  crossed  the  court-yard,  and  were  about  to 
enter  the  tunnel,  when  I  turned  and  gave  my  attend 
ant  a  violent  shove  full  in  the  chest.  Taken  by  sur 
prise,  he  lost  his  footing  upon  the  greasy  flagstones, 
and  fell  flat  on  his  back,  while  I  raced  down  the  pas 
sage  at  top  speed. 

As  I  had  hoped,  the  key  was  in  the  door.  I  un 
locked  and  swung  it  wide  open,  at  the  same  time 
slipping  between  the  door  and  the  wall  upon  which  it 
backed.  Fortunately  the  masonry  was  recessed  so  that 
the  door  might  stand  flush  with  the  surface  of  the 
wall,  and  being  of  slight  build,  I  could  squeeze  myself 
into  a  comparatively  narrow  space. 

I  heard  the  servant  give  an  astonished  kind  of  gasp 
as  he  went  down,  and  for  an  instant  he  lay  half 
stunned.  Then,  recovering  himself,  he  found  his 
feet,  and  came  stumbling  and  stumping  down  the 
passage  to  find  the  outer  door  wide  open  and  no  one 
in  sight.  Through  the  crack  I  could  see  his  face  as 
he  stepped  out  cautiously  upon  the  threshold,  and  it 
expressed  both  fear  and  amazement.  He  looked  up 
and  down  the  street  for  at  least  a  dozen  times  to  as 
sure  himself  that  I  was  really  not  in  sight,  and  it  was 
a  full  two  minutes  before  he  stepped  back  into  the 

77 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

passage,  and  began  to  close  the  door.  He  was  evi 
dently  satisfied  that  I  was  out  of  the  house,  but  I 
could  see  that  he  was  still  puzzling  over  the  inexpli 
cable  performance  with  which  I  had  signalized  my 
departure. 

It  was  the  critical  moment  as  the  door  swung  in 
ward,  and,  of  course,  it  had  to  come  —  a  sneeze.  I 
did  my  best  to  stifle  it,  but  the  dust  that  I  had 
stirred  up  hung  in  an  irritating  cloud  about  my  head, 
and  the  sneeze  would  not  be  denied.  Like  murder,  it 
was  out ;  I  stood  convicted  out  of  my  own  mouth. 

I  waited  shamefacedly  for  the  man  to  turn  around, 
but  he  was  still  fumbling  at  the  fastenings  of  the 
door,  and  there  was  not  the  slightest  indication  in 
his  manner  that  he  was  aware  of  my  proximity. 
Could  it  be  possible  ?  and  my  mind  harked  back  to 
the  incident  of  our  brief  interview  at  the  door.  I 
recalled  how  intently  his  eyes  had  been  fixed  upon 
my  face  as  I  talked  with  him  ;  nay,  it  was  upon  my 
lips  that  he  had  hung  !  Now  I  understood — the  man 
was  deaf  and  dumb  ! 

When  Maitre  Vauclot  ordered  that  I  should  be 
shown  out,  I  recalled  that  he  had  addressed  his  ser 
vant  by  name.  But  "  Perroquet  "  is  rather  a  nick 
name — it  means  "  parrot" — and  the  designation  was 
an  appropriate  .one,  that  guttural  croak  could  only  be 
compared  to  the  inflectionless  tones  of  a  talking  bird. 
Perroquet,  indeed  •  No  wonder  that  I  had  sneezed 
with  impunity  ;  for  that  matter,  I  might  have  fired 
off  a  pistol  at  his  ear  without  gaining  the  honor  of 
his  attention.  And  then  I  realized  sharply  that  he 
could  still  see,  if  he  could  not  hear,  and  I  pressed  back 
into  the  farthest  corner  of  my  hiding-place.  Would 
he  look  up?  I  shut  my  own  eyes,  remembering  how 
subtly  the  thought-waves  travel  between  the  watcher 
and  the  watched.  It  was  a  great  effort  of  will,  but  it 

78 


THE    MAHOGANY   CLOTHES-PRESS 

had  its  reward  ;  in  another  moment  he  had  turned, 
and  was  retracing  his  steps  along  the  passage.  The 
ruse  had  succeeded,  and  now  I  had  only  to  wait  as 
patiently  as  might  be  for  the  friendly  darkness  that 
should  cover  my  advance  movement. 

At  half  after  six  I  considered  that  I  might  venture, 
and,  taking  off  my  boots,  I  went  cautiously  through 
the  passage  and  across  the  court-yard.  The  entrance 
door  of  the  "  yellow  house "  was  unfastened,  and  I 
had  no  difficulty  in  mounting  the  staircase,  and  in 
gaining  the  first  landing.  The  hallway  was  dimly 
lighted  by  a  single  gas-jet,  and  all  the  doors  opening 
upon  it  were  closed.  I  could  hear  the  sound  of  regu 
lar  pacing  footsteps  in  the  front  room;  the  master,  at 
least,  would  not  be  likely  to  interfere  with  me.  But 
where  was  the  servant  ?  Still,  I  must  take  some  risk, 
and  I  had  a  great  advantage  in  that  Perroquet  must 
actually  see  me  to  be  aware  of  my  presence  in  the 
house.  My  first  care  must  be  to  familiarize  myself 
with  the  internal  arrangements  of  the  building,  and 
if — as  I  had  reason  to  suppose — it  was  inhabited  only 
by  Vauclot  and  his  deaf  and  dumb  servant,  I  ought 
not  to  have  much  difficulty  in  keeping  myself  under 
cover. 

As  has  been  said,  the  office  occupied  the  entire  front 
width  of  the  building.  Back  of  this  was  an  apart 
ment  whose  door  yielded  easily  to  my  touch.  I  en 
tered,  and  found  that  it  was  a  dark  room,  and  half 
filled  with  a  lumber  of  old  furniture.  At  both  ends 
of  the  apartment  were  sliding -doors,  whose  glass 
panels  had  been  veiled  by  silk  curtains.  As  these 
curtains  were  on  my  side  of  the  door,  I  found  no  diffi 
culty  in  taking  a  survey  of  Maitre  Vauclot's  office. 
He  himself  sat  writing  at  the  big  table,  and  the  light 
from  a  hanging  lamp  fell  full  upon  his  silvered  head 
and  fine  intellectual  face.  I  could  have  stood  there 

79 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

and  watched  him  indefinitely,  but  I  quickly  realized 
that  I  should  not  learn  much  by  so  doing,  and  I  made 
my  way  cautiously  to  the  glass  doors  at  the  other 
end  of  the  room. 

The  apartment  into  which  I  now  looked  was  fur 
nished  as  a  dining-room,  and  the  table  was  already 
set  with  three  covers  ;  perhaps  Maitre  Vauclot  was 
expecting  guests  for  dinner  this  evening.  On  the 
left  of  the  room  were  windows  which  must  open  upon 
the  court-yard,  and  the  door  on  the  right  led  to  the 
extension  of  the  main  building  that  ran  off  at  right 
angles  and  faced  upon  the  side  street.  This  ell  prob 
ably  contained  the  kitchen  and  offices,  and,  indeed, 
Perroquet  entered  a  moment  later  with  a  couple  of 
bottles  in  his  hand.  He  dusted  them  off  tenderly,  and, 
going  to  the  sideboard,  proceeded  to  decant  them. 
Evidently  he  was  both  butler  and  footman  of  this 
unique  establishment,  and  perhaps  chef  as  well.  At 
all  events,  I  had  him  located  now,  and  I  could  proceed 
with  my  explorations  without  fear  of  interruption. 

Letting  myself  out  of  the  dark  room,  I  went  up  to 
the  second  landing  of  the  staircase,  and  tried  the 
handle  of  the  door  leading  to  the  front  room.  It 
turned,  and  I  looked  in  ;  it  was  not  necessary  to  enter, 
for  the  room  was  absolutely  bare  of  furnishing,  ex 
cept  for  the  heavy  curtains  at  the  windows.  And  yet 
it  was  from  these  windows  that  I  had  first  seen 
Maitre  Vauclot  pottering  genially  among  his  cloth 
and  paper  geraniums.  False  flowers  to  cheer  an 
empty  room !  Well,  at  least  there  was  consistency  in 
the  idea.  Back  of  this  was  another  dark  and  empty 
closet-room,  but  the  third,  en  suite,  corresponding  to 
the  dining-room  below,  was  fitted  up  as  a  sleeping 
apartment.  It  contained  only  the  indispensable 
articles  of  bedroom  furniture,  and  these  were  of  the 
cheapest  and  commonest  manufacture.  In  all  prob- 

80 


THE    MAHOGANY    CLOTHES-PRESS 

ability  this  was  Vauclot's  own  bedroom,  but  there 
was  nothing  about  it  to  call  for  a  more  than  cursory 
examination. 

The  ell  extension  opened  off  of  this  room,  but  here 
again  the  flickering  light  of  a  wax  match  showed  only 
bare  and  tenantless  walls.  There  was  plainly  noth 
ing  more  of  interest  on  this  floor,  and  I  went  on  up 
to  the  third  story. 

As  before,  I  looked  first  into  the  front  room.  It 
was  empty,  like  the  others,  save  for  an  immense  ma 
hogany  clothes-press,  or  wardrobe,  that  stood  against 
the  wall,  dividing  this  room  from  the  one  immediate 
ly  back  of  it.  While  I  stood  looking  at  it,  and  wonder 
ing  at  its  possible  use,  I  heard  a  noise  in  the  hall  below 
— some  one  was  coming  up-stairs.  I  stepped  into  the 
hall  and  listened  attentively.  I  knew  that  shuffling 
walk  by  this  time — it  was  Perroquet.  He  must  not 
see  me ;  but  where  could  I  conceal  myself  if  he  should 
happen  to  come  up  to  this  floor? 

There  was  still  another  story,  but  the  stairs  leading 
to  it  had  been  boarded  up,  and  the  door  at  the  bottom 
was  locked.  I  looked  along  the  corridor  for  the  doors 
leading  to  the  other  rooms,  but  there  was  not  the  sign 
of  one  to  be  seen.  If  any  existed,  they  had  long  since 
been  bricked  up,  and  plastered  over.  And  yet  there 
must  be  rooms,  or  at  least  empty  space,  behind  this 
blank  wall.  What  did  it  mean  ? 

Leaning  over  the  stair-rail,  I  saw  that  Perroquet, 
carrying  a  lighted  candle,  was  already  at  the  foot  of 
the  stairs  leading  to  this,  the  third  floor ;  beyond  a 
doubt  he  was  coming  up. 

Stepping  back  into  the  empty  room,  I  looked  about 
despairingly.  I  had  a  presentiment  that  the  man's 
errand  on  this  floor  had  to  do  with  the  clothes-press, 
and  if  so  I  certainly  could  not  hide  there.  Besides, 
I  had  tried  the  door,  and  found  it  locked.  Ah,  the 
F  81 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

balcony!  I  could  step  out  on  that  and  wait.  Throw 
ing  up  the  long  window,  I  sprang  out  on  the  balcony, 
and  crouched  down  on  the  slatted  floor.  Hardly  had 
I  drawn  the  window  into  place,  when  Perroquet  en 
tered  the  room,  carrying  a  tray  covered  with  a  white 
cloth.  In  one  corner  of  it  a  candle  had  been  wedged, 
so  as  to  stand  upright,  and  allow  him  the  use  of  both 
hands  in  the  management  of  his  unwieldy  burden. 

Placing  the  tray  upon  the  floor,  the  old  fellow 
took  a  key  from  his  pocket,  and  inserted  it  into  the 
lock  of  the  clothes-press.  There  was  nothing  ex 
traordinary  in  this,  but  I  was  certainly  unprepared 
for  what  followed.  Taking  up  the  tray,  Perroquet 
deliberately  hoisted  himself  through  the  wardrobe 
door,  and  closed  it  behind  him. 

Ten,  fifteen,  and  then  twenty  minutes  I  mounted 
guard  on  the  balcony,  with  my  face  pressed  against 
the  pane,  and  my  eyes  glued  on  that  extraordinary 
clothes-press.  The  longer  I  waited,  the  less  advisable 
I  thought  it  to  make  a  move.  It  would  have  been 
poor  policy  for  me  to  have  slipped  away  down-stairs, 
leaving  an  enemy  in  my  rear  ;  and  then  there  was  a 
fine  taste  of  adventure  in  this  affair  of  a  wardrobe 
standing  duty  as  the  portal  to  Nomansland.  The 
situation  appealed  to  my  fancy  ;  there  might  be  some 
thing  more  to  see  when  Master  Perroquet  returned 
from  his  travels.  And  so  I  waited.  At  the  end  of 
the  twenty  minutes  the  door  swung  open,  and  my  man 
reappeared,  quite  as  though  it  were  the  most  natural 
thing  in  the  world  for  one  to  step  out  of  a  clothes-press 
with  a  lighted  candle  in  one  hand  and  an  empty  tea- 
tray  in  the  other.  The  lock  was  a  spring  one,  and  so 
he  merely  pushed  the  door  into  place,  and  stumped 
out  into  the  passage-way.  I  was  in  the  room  as  soon 
as  he  had  left  it,  and  my  pulse  ran  up  a  beat  or  two 
as  I  saw  that  by  some  oversight  he  had  left  the  key 

§2 


" PERROyUET  ENTERED  THE  ROOM,  CARRYING  A  TRAY  " 


THE    MAHOGANY    CLOTHES-PRESS 

sticking  in  the  lock.  And  then,  as  I  put  out  my  hand 
to  take  it,  I  became  aware  that  Perroquet  was  coming 
back  ;  of  course,  he  had  missed  the  key,  and  was  re 
turning  to  get  it. 

There  was  no  time  for  me  to  get  to  my  balcony, 
for  already  the  light  of  his  candle  was  upon  the 
threshold.  I  turned  the  knob,  and,  as  the  door  opened, 
I  slipped  inside  the  clothes-press,  taking  the  key  with 
me.  Perhaps  he  would  conclude  that  he  had  taken 
the  key  out  after  all,  and  that  it  was  mislaid  in  a  cor 
ner  of  one  of  his  pockets.  I  listened,  as  the  footsteps 
paused  in  front  of  the  wardrobe,  and  clumsy  fingers 
fumbled  impatiently  with  the  lock.  Then  I  could  hear 
him  clattering  down  the  passage,  and  descending  the 
stairs.  For  once  Chance  had  been  over-kind  to  me. 

The  suspense  of  those  waiting  moments  had  been 
so  intense  that  I  had  received  no  impression  what 
ever  from  my  surroundings.  I  now  realized  that 
there  was  no  back  to  the  wardrobe — it  simply  served 
to  screen  the  entrance  of  the  room  behind  it.  Cau 
tiously  I  felt  for  the  door-knob.  It  yielded.  I  edged 
back,  then  down  a  step,  and  knew  that  I  was  standing 
in  the  secret  chamber. 

The  room  was  pitch-dark,  but  I  had  plenty  of  wax 
vestas.  I  lit  one,  and  looked  about  me.  A  curious- 
looking  apartment  this !  Wainscoted,  ceiled,  and 
floored  in  some  kind  of  unpolished  metal,  without  a 
window,  and  with  but  the  one  door  by  which  I  had 
entered.  And  it  was  absolutely  empty  save  for  what 
seemed  to  be  a  heap  of  rags  lying  in  a  corner.  An 
empty  room !  and  yet,  as  I  stand  and  look,  I  become 
aware  that  it  has  an  occupant.  It  is  Fear  himself  who 
lodges  here.  Out  of  the  flickering  shadows  a  gigantic 
figure  takes  shape  and  advances  upon  me.  I  am  at 
the  door  leading  into  the  clothes-press  ;  it  has  swung 
to,  and  there  is  no  handle  on  this  side.  I  find  the 

83 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

key-hole,  but  the  key  slips  from  my  shaking  fingers. 
I  hear  the  clash  of  metal  upon  metal  —  I  am  on  my 
knees — I  have  felt  for  it  as  far  as  I  can  reach — 

It  seems  an  eternity  before  I  can  get  hold  of  my 
box  of  vestas.  I  drop  half  a  dozen,  and  scratch  an 
other  at  the  wrong  end.  Then  the  little  flame  sput 
ters  up  to  a  temporary  brilliancy  ;  I  force  myself  to 
look. 

The  bundle  of  rags  has  resolved  itself  into  a  human 
form,  and,  as  we  stare  wildly  at  each  other,  I  recognize 
Achille,  my  valet,  missing,  as  you  remember,  since 
Friday  night.  Then  the  match  goes  out  with  a  little 
hiss,  and  we  are  in  darkness  again. 


CHAPTER  X 

THE    DEVIL'S    ADVOCATE 

|OU  who  know  your  Balzac  will  remem 
ber  Ma'ame  Nourisson — that  terrible  old 
woman  who  dressed  in  a  purple  -  red 
gown,  and  whose  broad  feet  seemed  to 
overflow  her  satin  shoes.  Her  profes 
sion?  Well,  in  her  own  words,  it  was  the  part  of 
Fate  that  she  played  —  an  arbiter  of  Destiny,  with 
particular  attention  paid  to  the  "family  business." 
Her  specialty,  indeed,  was  that  delicate  field  of 
operation  which  we  may  call  the  removal  of  the  su 
perfluous;  a  suspicious  consort,  an  unacceptable  will, 
an  importunate  creditor  —  it  was  all  one  to  Ma'ame 
Nourisson,  and  although  her  fees  were  high,  satisfac 
tion  was  guaranteed,  and  invariably  given.  Cross 
with  silver  the  itching  palm  of  Ma'ame  Nourisson, 
and  one  might  laugh  in  the  face  of  the  devil  himself. 
No  wonder  that  she  drove  a  roaring  trade  there  in 
Paris  in  1830. 

Now  business  is  business,  and  a  profitable  one  is  not 
to  be  lightly  abandoned.  Ma'ame  Nourisson  had  her 
successors,  trained  in  her  own  school,  and  some  of 
them  capable  of  giving  points  to  the  mistress  herself. 
Her  profession  has  become  a  science — a  development 
of  her  genius  that  would  have  delighted  her  heart, 
and  which  is  a  veritable  monument  to  her  memory. 
Here  in  Paris,  and  in  the  closing  year  of  the  nine 
teenth  century!  Why  not,  if  you  please?  Has  hu- 

85 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

man  nature  changed  ?  Are  the  husbands  all  faithful 
nowadays,  and  are  there  no  dead  men's  shoes  to  be 
filled?  Under  the  thin  black  crust  of  the  asphalt  the 
lava  fires  still  burn — the  safety-valve  must  be  provided 
if  one  would  not  run  the  risk  of  an  explosion.  And  the 
police,  be  it  remembered,  are  not  allowed  to  meddle 
with  affairs  that  are  strictly  private — the  "family  busi 
ness  "  of  which  we  have  already  spoken.  There  is  no 
longer  a  Fouche  at  the  Ministry  of  Police,  and  so  Maitre 
Etienne  Vauclot  is  permitted  to  hang  out  his  sign. 

Mme.  Meibel?  Yes ;  Achille  had  often  heard  of  her 
— a  rich  old  woman  who  made  a  fool  of  herself  by 
marrying  a  boy  thirty  years  her  junior.  An  ill-as 
sorted  union,  and  naturally  an  unhappy  one.  It  was 
common  report  that  madame  quarrelled  frightfully 
with  her  boy -husband,  to  whom  she  had  made  over 
the  bulk  of  her  property.  The  height  of  folly  indeed  ! 

And  it  had  been  all  on  account  of  another  woman 
— a  black-eyed  jade  of  a  milliner's  assistant,  in  whose 
hand  young  Meibel  was  as  wax.  Ah,  yes  !  a  sordid 
story — a  tragedy  in  drab ;  let  it  end  as  quickly  as  pos 
sible.  It  was  now  three  weeks  since  Mme.  Meibel  had 
been  seen  by  any  of  her  neighbors  of  the  Rue  de  Ren- 
nes.  In  another  fortnight  they  would  begin  to  forget. 

"  Gillaudet,  the  perfumer !"  continued  Achille, 
meditatively.  "It  seems  to  me  that  I  know  the 
name,  that  I  have  seen  it  somewhere,  but  just  now 
it  escapes  me.  Probably  some  good  citizen  of  Meaux 
or  Chantilly,  who  is  accustomed  to  come  to  the  city 
once  a  week  to  visit  his  married  daughter ;  he  has  his 
pockets  stuffed  with  sweets  for  the  children,  and  he 
would  as  soon  think  of  entering  a  fiacre  as  of  throw 
ing  himself  from  the  Pont  Neuf.  You  know  the  type, 
m'sieu.  Enfin  !  There  comes  a  day  when  he  does  not 
appear  as  usual,  and  that  is  the  end  of  the  story. 
Pouf !  There  are  many  ill  winds  blowing  in  Paris." 

86 


THE    DEVIL'S    ADVOCATE 

"And  there  was  a  certain  M.  Victor  Berger?"  I  con 
tinued,  inquiringly.  The  three  names,  as  you  see, 
had  stuck  in  my  memory. 

"  Oh,  perfectly !  an  old  friend  of  my  aunt's.  He 
used  to  play  picquet  with  her  almost  every  evening. 
That  is  a  bad  business,  I  am  afraid,  m'sieu.  As  I  un 
derstand  it,  the  old  man  happened  to  unearth  some 
frauds  in  the  commissary  department,  and  there  were 
several  handsome  names  mixed  up  in  it.  Old  Berger 
was  scrupulously  honest,  and  he  deemed  it  his  duty — 
well,  he  got  more  than  one  weighty  hint,  but  he  was 
Breton,  you  know,  and  a  perfect  mule  for  stubborn 
ness.  Ask  yourself  if  anything  can  be  done  with 
such  a  man  ?  One  fine  day  there  is  a  vacant  stool  in 
his  office,  and,  after  waiting  a  reasonable  length  of 
time,  the  incident  is  declared  closed,  and  some  lucky 
uncler-clerk  gets  a  rise  in  the  world.  An  honest  man, 
and  a  good  citizen,  m'sieu,  but  what  is  that  compared 
to  the  saving  of  a  dozen  reputations  ?" 

Achille  had  spoken  lightly,  but  there  came  a  break 
in  his  voice  at  the  end,  and  he  turned  his  head  away 
quickly.  The  poor  fellow  had  been  under  a  tremen 
dous  nervous  strain — that  was  evident  at  a  glance, 
and  he  looked  as  though  he  might  collapse  at  any 
moment.  A  mouthful  of  brandy  from  my  pocket- 
flask  brought  the  color  back  to  his  cheek,  and  he  was 
able  to  continue  the  recital  of  his  own  adventure  with 
the  master  of  the  "  yellow  house." 

After  all,  there  was  not  much  to  tell.  He  had  re 
ceived  a  letter  from  Maitre  Vauclot — whom  he  knew 
slightly — asking  him  to  call  at  the  house  in  the  Rue 
de  Rennes  on  a  matter  of  business,  something  in  con 
nection  with  the  lease  of  his  aunt's  apartments.  At 
noon  on  Saturday  he  had  stopped  at  No.  82,  on  his 
way  to  his  aunt's  house,  and  had  had  a  long  inter 
view  with  Vauclot.  The  pretended  business  had  been 

87 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

quickly  despatched,  and  then  Vauclot  had  attempted 
to  sound  him  in  regard  to  his  confidential  relations 
in  the  Czareska  household.  There  was  one  particular 
piece  of  information  which  he  seemed  most  anxious 
to  obtain,  but,  of  course,  Achille  had  both  resented 
and  resisted  his  impertinent  inquiries.  The  struggle 
had  been  a  protracted  one,  but  Achille  had  managed 
to  hold  his  own. 

"  But  why  a  struggle  at  all  ?"  I  interrupted.  "  Why 
should  you  have  submitted  to  cross-examination  at 
the  hands  of  this  Devil's  Advocate  ?  You,  a  young 
man  of  five-and-twenty,  with  the  muscles  of  an  ox ! 
I  am  ashamed  for  you,  Achille." 

"Ah,  m'sieu,  it  may  seem  incredible,  but  under 
those  eyes — you  do  not  comprehend,  but  I  could  do 
nothing  but  sit  there — a  block  of  stone." 

I  nodded  back  at  the  poor  fellow.  Such  hallucina 
tions  are  not  uncommon,  and,  by  pretending  to  un 
derstand,  the  story  would  not  be  interrupted. 

"And  so  at  last  they  brought  me  up  here.  At 
least,  m'sieu,  the  eyes  had  not  made  me  betray  my 
master.  Maitre  Va:iclot  might  steal  away  my  legs, 
but  he  could  not  unlock  my  lips.  This  morning  an 
other  two  hours'  interview,  and  it  ended  in  precisely 
the  same  way.  And  that  is  all." 

"  Then  you  have  been  confined  here  since  the  early 
afternoon  of  Saturday  ?" 

"  That  is  it,  m'sieu.  And  I  have  seen  no  one  but 
that  abominable  Perroquet,  who  brings  me  my  meals. 
An  empty  room,  as  you  see ;  nothing  to  be  afraid  of 
in  that,  one  would  think.  And  yet  every  now  and 
then  the  cold  sweat  comes  out  all  over  me.  What  do 
they  do  here  in  this  room  ?  What  becomes  of  the 
people  who  once  enter  it  ?  I  have  asked  myself  these 
questions  a  thousand  times,  but  I  get  no  answer.  I 
am  afraid,  m'sieu,  and  that  is  the  truth." 


THE    DEVIL'S    ADVOCATE 

I  made  another  careful  survey  of  the  room,  but  the 
blank  walls  told  nothing.  There  was  one  peculiar 
feature,  however,  about  the  floor.  It  was  of  metal, 
like  the  walls  and  ceiling,  and  it  was  apparently  di 
vided  into  four  triangular  sections  by  diagonal  lines 
running  from  the  corners  to  the  centre.  What  could 
be  the  object  of  this  peculiar  construction  ?  Let  us 
suppose  that  these  four  triangular  sections  are  hinged 
at  their  bases  to  the  wall.  Now  withdraw  the  sup 
port,  whatever  it  may  be,  that  holds  up  the  centre, 
and  what  happens  ?  The  four  wings  drop,  and  the  vic 
tim  slowly  slides  down  their  sloping  surfaces  to  finally 
disappear  into — What?  The  room  below?  Perhaps 
into  a  chute  running  through  those  dark  middle 
apartments  into  the  cellars.  And  after  that — an  acid 
bath,  a  bed  of  quicklime,  the  sewers  ?  I  knelt  down 
and  scrutinized  more  closely  this  infamous  trap.  I 
fancied  that  I  could  see  scratches  upon  the  floor — the 
marks  of  finger-nails. 

"This  way,  if  m'sieu  will  be  so  kind."  Achille  was 
standing  in  a  far  corner  of  the  room,  and  pointing  to 
what  seemed  to  be  writing  done  upon  the  metal  sur 
face  of  the  wall.  It  could  only  be  seen  at  a  certain 
angle  of  the  light  thrown  by  my  dark-lantern — the 
words  looked  as  though  they  might  have  been  traced 
with  the  wetted  head  of  a  match.  But  once  seen,  the 
writing  was  plain  enough  to  read  : 

J.  GILLAUDET 
June  27th 


Jhu  pit  id! 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

It  was  only  after  a  determined  effort  of  will  that  I 
again  got  the  best  of  my  jangling  nerves.  But  there 
was  work  to  be  done,  and  the  exigency  itself  helped 
at  last  to  steady  me.  Achille  could  be  of  no  use  ;  the 
man  was  in  a  state  of  nervous  collapse,  and  could  not 
even  walk  without  my  assistance.  He  clung  to  me 
like  a  child,  begging  me  not  to  abandon  him,  and  for 
the  moment  I  was  at  my  wit's  end.  I  had  not  the 
heart  to  leave  him  shut  up  in  this  dreadful  room,  and 
I  could  not  run  the  risk  of  taking  him  down  on  one 
of  the  lower  floors.  Finally  we  compromised  on  the 
balcony  of  the  room  outside,  where  I  myself  had 
found  a  temporary  refuge  not  long  before.  The 
night  was  warm,  and  he  would  suffer  no  discomfort 
from  being  in  the  open  air. 

Achille  was  willing  to  go  anywhere  so  long  as  these 
horrible  walls  of  metal  did  not  shut  him  in.  Without 
much  trouble  I  lugged  him  out  through  the  clothes- 
press,  and  got  him  safely  stowed  away  upon  the  bal 
cony.  With  a  final  assurance  that  I  would  return  in 
an  hour  at  the  furthest,  I  drew  down  the  long  win 
dow  and  locked  it.  That  would  prevent  his  taking  it 
into  his  head  to  disobey  orders,  and  go  roaming  around 
on  his  own  account.  Not  that  it  was  a  likely  contin 
gency,  but  one  must  look  out  for  everything.  And 
finally  I  shut  and  locked  the  clothes-press.  Until  he 
found  his  key,  Perroquet  would  not  be  likely  to  dis 
cover  the  disappearance  of  his  prisoner. 

All  was  quiet  in  the  house,  and  I  made  my  way 
without  difficulty  to  the  middle  room  on  the  first 
floor,  which,  it  will  be  remembered,  communicated 
with  both  the  office  in  the  front  and  with  the  dining- 
room  in  the  rear.  The  dinner  was  still  waiting  to  be 
served,  so  I  took  my  post  at  the  glass  doors  com 
manding  the  front  room.  I  could  both  see  and  hear 
perfectly,  and  I  was  determined  that  no  scruples  of 

90 


THE    DEVIL'S    ADVOCATE 

delicacy  should  prevent  me  from  picking  up  and  ap 
propriating  any  crumbs  of  knowledge  that  might  fall 
within  my  reach. 

It  was  a  little  after  eight  o'clock  when  the  first  of 
Maitre  Vauclot's  guests  arrived,  and  I  almost  be 
trayed  myself  as  he  entered  the  room,  ushered  by 
Perroquet.  It  was  the  Chevalier  du  Midi,  and,  by 
the  character  of  the  greetings  exchanged,  it  was 
plain  that  he  was  on  intimate  terms  with  his  host. 
The  Chevalier's  manner  was  excited,  and  he  seemed 
annoyed  that  the  other  guest  had  not  arrived.  He 
walked  impatiently  up  and  down  the  room,  and  then 
stopped  abruptly  at  his  host's  chair. 

"It  is  nearly  three  months  since  the  'Cardinal's 
Rose'  was  placed  in  your  keeping,"  he  said,  petulantly, 
"and  yet  nothing  has  been  done.  Where  is  the  ruby  ? 
Let  me  see  it." 

"  By  all  means,"  said  Vauclot,  turning  to  the  cabi 
net-secretary. 

There  was  a  false  panel  back  of  a  drawer  that  he 
proceeded  to  pull  out,  and  the  desk  stood  so  near  the 
glass  doors  that  I  had  no  difficulty  in  seeing  the  po 
sition  of  the  spring.  The  panel  flew,  open,  and  dis 
closed  a  recess,  from  which  Maitre  Vauclot  took  a 
small  box  that  he  handed  to  the  young  man.  The 
Chevalier  drew  from  the  box  a  chamois-leather  bag, 
and  opened  it  eagerly.  And  I,  looking  with  all  my  eyes, 
saw  the  great  ruby  at  last,  the  glorious  "  Cardinal's 
Rose,"  with  its  heart  of  living  flame.  A  king's  ransom, 
mind  you,  and  lying  in  the  hollow  of  a  man's  hand  ! 

"  Superb  !  Magnificent !"  and,  as  it  were,  we  all 
started  and  looked  up,  to  find  Mr.  Giles  Coventry 
bending  smilingly  over  the  Chevalier's  shoulder.  The 
Chevalier  turned  on  him  quickly. 

"  All  very  well,  Coventry,  but  what  is  being  done, 
tell  me  that?  Here  is  the  'Cardinal's  Rose,'  but 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

where  are  the  rifles,  the  machine  guns,  the  supplies 
of  medicine,  of  food,  of  ammunition  ?" 

Mr.  Coventry  shrugged  his  shoulders.  "  We  can't 
do  everything  in  a  day.  Patience,  my  dear  fellow." 

"  But  you  do  nothing  in  three  months,"  retorted 
the  Chevalier.  "  It  is  always  patience,  patience,  and 
mine  has  reached  its  limit.  The  revolution  is  flick 
ering  out  like  an  unsnuffed  candle,  Jehan  is  growing 
stronger  every  day,  and  Soulia  will  soon  be  justified 
in  interfering.  Here  is  a  million  sterling  locked  up 
in  this  piece  of  red  crystal,  and  you  were  instructed 
to  realize  upon  it.  Why  have  you  not  done  so  ?  The 
Chevalier  du  Midi  would  be  pleased  to  have  an  expla 
nation  from  Mr.  Coventry." 

Mr.  Coventry  was  perfectly  self-possessed,  and 
with  admirable  coolness  he  proceeded  to  put  the 
younger  man  completely  in  the  wrong.  Such  a  deli 
cate  piece  of  business  could  not  be  hurried  ;  the 
"  Cardinal's  Rose  "  was  not  an  ordinary  piece  of  se 
curity  upon  which  one  might  raise  the  cost  of  a  din 
ner  at  the  Mont  de  Pidtt.  For  all  that,  he  had  not 
been  losing  time,  and  the  negotiation  was  even  now 
about  to  be  closed.  The  Littigs  were  cautious  people, 
but  they  had  virtually  consented  to  the  proposal  of 
a  loan,  with  the  "  Cardinal's  Rose "  as  the  pledge 
for  the  millions  to  be  advanced.  But  it  was  a  dan 
gerous  venture,  and  the  indemnity  would  be  enor 
mous.  Finally,  he  could  assure  M.  le  Chevalier  that 
in  two  weeks'  time  a  perfectly  equipped  army  of 
fifty  thousand  men  would  be  marching  into  ^Etolia — 
that  is,  provided  that  the  Chevalier  du  Midi  con 
tinued  to  honor  his  friends  with  his  entire  confi 
dence  ;  otherwise  Mr.  Coventry  would  request  per 
mission  to  retire  altogether. 

The  young  man  listened  moodily  to  this  harangue, 
but  he  offered  no  further  remonstrance,  and  Perroquet 

92 


THE    DEVIL'S    ADVOCATE 

now  appeared,  and  intimated  that  dinner  was  served. 
Vauclot  took  the  jewel,  and  carefully  replaced  it  in 
the  secret  compartment  of  the  cabinet ;  then,  with 
a  great  show  of  deference,  he  motioned  to  the  Cheva 
lier  that  he  should  lead  the  way  out.  Like  a  sulky 
boy,  du  Midi  obeyed,  Vauclot  and  Coventry  standing 
aside,  and  bowing  as  he  passed.  There  was  an  irony 
of  exaggerated  respect  in  their  attitudes,  and  I  was 
not  surprised  to  see  Coventry  look  back,  as  he  reached 
the  door,  and  exchange  a  triumphant  smile  with  the 
older  man,  who  was  bringing  up  the  rear. 

The  night  was  warm,  and  as  Coventry  turned  he 
drew  his  handkerchief  with  a  careless  hand  across  his 
forehead.  And  there,  revealed  by  the  full  glare  of 
the  gas-light,  was  a  glint  of  reddish  hair  under  the 
smooth  black  locks  that  he  wore  plastered  down  so 
closely  about  his  ears.  This,  then,  was  the  final  solu 
tion  of  the  mystery  that  had  puzzled  me  for  so  long. 
It  was  "  Pompadour  "  who  was  the  real  man,  it  was 
Coventry  who  had  worn  the  mask  !  A  daring  trans 
position  of  roles,  but  how  cleverly  it  had  been  carried 
out !  I  blushed  again  to  recall  that  mortifying  en 
counter  of  two  days  before,  in  the  Rue  de  Rennes,  when 
the  bird  had  escaped  out  of  my  very  hand.  Excellent, 
monsieur,  but  now  we  shall  see  what  we  shall  see. 

I  waited  only  long  enough  to  make  sure,  from  my 
second  point  of  vantage,  that  the  party  were  safely 
seated  at  table  with  Perroquet  in  attendance.  Then, 
still  in  my  stockinged  feet,  I  entered  the  front  room, 
and  stood  beside  the  cabinet-secretary.  The  spring 
yielded  to  my  touch,  the  little  chamois-leather  bag 
was  in  my  hand,  and  then  quickly  transferred  to  my 
inside  waistcoat-pocket.  My  task  was  accomplished  ; 
now  I  had  only  to  go  back  after  Achille,  and  I  might 
take  leave  forever  of  Maitre  Vauclot  and  of  the  "  yel 
low  house."  Lhomme  propose. 

93 


CHAPTER   XI 

MAlTRE   VAUCLOT   DINES 

was  a  full  hour  before  I  could  get  Achille 
in  condition  to  be  moved.  My  return 
had  seemed  to  unman  him  completely  ; 
he  lay  on  the  slatted  floor  of  the  balcony, 
alternately  laughing  and  sobbing,  and 
there  was  nothing  to  do  but  to  wait  until  the  attack 
of  hysteria  had  worn  itself  out.  Once  or  twice  I  was 
on  the  point  of  forcibly  gagging  and  trussing  him  up, 
but  I  dared  not  run  the  risk  of  the  noise  that  must 
inevitably  attend  upon  such  a  struggle.  Expostula 
tion,  argument,  command — all  were  alike  useless,  and 
I  had  to  resign  myself  to  the  inevitable. 

At  last  the  fit  passed,  and  the  poor  fellow  became 
amenable  to  reason  once  more.  But  he  was  so  weak 
that  I  had  to  half-carry  him  down  the  three  flights  of 
stairs,  something  of  a  task,  for  Achille  was  a  well- 
built  man.  However,  it  was  accomplished  without 
mishap,  and  we  finally  stood  safe  in  the  court-yard 
below.  There  was  only  the  street  door  to  be  passed, 
and  the  key  was  still  in  the  lock — within  the  limit  of 
fifty  steps  we  might  be  walking  down  the  Rue  de 
Rennes. 

The  impulse  was  inexplicable,  but  it  was  never 
theless  irresistible — I  must  have  one  parting  look  at 
Maitre  Vauclot's  dinner-party.  The  risk  was  small, 
and  it  would  take  but  a  minute  or  so  at  the  fur- 

94 


MAITRE    VAUCLOT    DINES 

thest.  Assisting  Achille  to  a  seat  on  a  bench,  and 
promising  to  return  immediately,  I  ran  up  to  the 
first  floor,  and  passed  to  my  old  point  of  vantage  in 
the  middle  room.  Dinner  was  over,  for  the  coffee 
pot  stood  at  Maitre  Vauclot's  hand,  and  Perroquet 
was  filling  the  liqueur-glasses  at  the  sideboard.  Poor 
du  Midi  !  It  was  evident  that  he  had  been  drinking 
deeply ;  his  eyes  were  set,  and  his  head  lolled  help 
lessly  to  one  side,  as  he  lay  back  in  the  big  leather- 
lined  chair. 

Coventry  and  Vauclot  were  talking  earnestly,  and 
the  former  had  shifted  his  seat  so  that  he  could  not 
see  the  Chevalier  without  turning  his  head.  But 
Vauclot,  I  noticed,  was  keeping  close  watch  upon  the 
slight  figure  in  the  big  chair.  Suddenly  Coventry 
tossed  off  his  cognac,  and  pushed  back  from  the  table. 

"  We  must  be  going,"  he  said,  shortly,  and  looked 
around  at  du  Midi.  And  then,  disgustedly  :  "  Why, 
the  man's  drunk  "  He  jumped  up  and  shook  him 
violently  by  the  shoulders.  The  young  man  made 
an  apparent  effort  to  pull  himself  together,  and  then 
sank  back  in  the  chair,  inert  and  helpless. 

"Deuce  take  it!"  said  Coventry,  with  open  irrita 
tion.  "  And  we  had  an  engagement  at  the  Jockey 
Club  for  ten  o  clock.  Can't  you  give  him  something 
that  will  straighten  him  out  ?" 

"  Drunk  as  a  lord,"  said  Vauclot,  cynically  He 
drew  down  the  lower  eyelid  of  the  unconscious  man, 
examining  the  pupil  with  a  close  scrutiny.  "  He's  like 
a  log  now,  and  will  be  for  ten  hours  to  come.  Leave 
him  here  with  me  for  the  night — you  can  make  his 
excuses  at  the  club,  and  sleep  and  rest  will  bring  him 
around  all  right  in  the  morning." 

Coventry  frowned,  and  hesitated,  but  there  was 
clearly  nothing  else  to  be  done,  and  he  acquiesced 
sulkily. 

95 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

"  I'll  give  him  my  own  room,"  said  Vauclot,  "  and 
send  him  back  to  you  to-morrow  at  any  time  you 
say." 

"Well,  you  can  tell  him  that  I  will  be  at  his  apart 
ments  by  half  after  twelve.  It's  cursedly  inconven 
ient  for  me,  but  there's  no  help  for  it,  I  suppose.  I'll 
help  you  get  him  up-stairs,  and  then  I  must  be  off,  or 
I  shall  miss  my  other  man  altogether.  Open  the  door 
there,  Perroquet." 

There  was  not  an  instant  to  lose,  and  I  slipped 
quietly  into  the  hall,  and  down  the  staircase.  The 
court-yard  was  empty  ;  Achille  had  disappeared. 

For  a  little  while  I  stood  irresolute.  It  was  plain 
that  Achille  had  become  alarmed  at  my  protracted 
absence,  and  had  made  his  own  way  to  the  street.  I 
glanced  into  the  vaulted  passage,  and  saw  that  the 
door  stood  ajar.  I  had  only  to  follow,  and  I  too  should 
be  clear  of  these  ill-omened  walls.  Yes,  and  with  the 
object  of  my  mission  successfully  accomplished.  Why 
was  I  waiting  ? 

And  yet  I  could  not  shut  my  eyes  upon  what  I  had 
already  seen.  After  what  I  had  learned  of  this  hid 
eous  house,  I  could  not  leave  du  Midi  behind  me, 
above  all,  in  his  present  helpless  condition.  The  sus 
picion  had  been  growing  steadily  in  my  mind  that  the 
boy  had  been  drugged — there  was  more  than  mere 
intoxication  in  those  abnormally  dilated  pupils  that 
good  Mattre  Vauclot  had  examined  with  so  much  in 
terest.  The  commonest  humanity  would  forbid  the 
abandonment  of  a  comrade  under  such  circumstances, 
and  du  Midi  had  even  established  some  claim  upon  my 
friendship.  Little  by  little  we  had  drifted  into  rela 
tions  that  were  almost  intimate.  In  spite  of  his  patent 
weakness  s,  I  had  grown  really  fond  of  the  boy. 

But  even  that  consideration  was  neither  here  nor 
there,  in  view  of  what  I  had  heard  from  mademoi- 

96 


M  AIT  RE    VAUCLOT    DINES 

selle's  lips.  Only  a  half  confidence,  but  I  had  learned 
enough  to  realize  that  the  safety  and  honor  of  the 
Chevalier  du  Midi  were  absolutely  paramount  in  any 
contingency.  My  suspicions  of  Vauclot's  good  faith 
might  be  unfounded  in  this  particular  case,  but  could 
I  dare  to  trust  him  after  what  I  had  seen  and  heard  ? 
Assuredly  not. 

Yet,  after  all,  the  natural  and  most  feasible  course 
of  action  was  for  me  to  gain  the  street  and  seek  as 
sistance  from  the  police.  There  would  be  red  tape  in 
plenty,  but  I  should  break  it,  even  if  it  were  neces 
sary  to  invoke  aid  from  the  Rue  d'Alger.  It  was  too 
bad,  though,  that  Achille  had  not  waited.  I  could 
then  have  made  him  my  messenger,  and  been  free  to 
remain  in  the  "  yellow  house  "  to  forestall  any  possi- 
sible  contingency.  There  would  be  two  against  one, 
but  I  was  young  and  active  and  confident  of  holding 
my  own  even  against  force. 

Rapidly  as  I  had  turned  this  over  in  my  mind,  I 
had  delayed  just  a  few  seconds  too  long.  I  had 
walked  over  to  the  far  end  of  the  court-yard  to  see  if 
I  could  make  out  anything  at  the  windows,  and  be 
fore  I  realized  my  position,  Perroquet  and  Coventry 
had  entered  the  enclosure,  and  were  between  me  and 
the  street  door.  It  was  important  that  I  should  not 
be  seen,  so  I  crouched  down  behind  a  bench  and  held 
my  breath.  Afterwards  I  could  let  myself  out,  as 
Achille  had  done,  and  no  one  would  be  the  wiser  for 
my  three  hours'  sojourn  in  the  "yellow  house." 

It  is  always  the  unexpected.  On  this  occasion  Per 
roquet  did  not  leave  the  door-key  in  the  lock,  but 
carried  it  away  with  him.  I  could  see  it  swinging  at 
the  end  of  his  finger,  as  he  emerged  from  the  passage 
and  shuffled  slowly  across  the  court -yard.  I  was 
trapped,  and  in  my  vexation  I  involuntarily  snapped 
my  ringers.  The  noise  could  make  no  difference,  but 
G  97 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

the  motion,  slight  as  it  was,  attracted  the  attention 
of  those  lynx-like  eyes.  Holding  the  lantern  aloft, 
he  came  straight  towards  my  wretched  apology  for  a 
hiding-place. 

There  was  but  one  thing  to  do,  and  I  sprang  straight 
at  him.  Taken  as  he  was  at  a  disadvantage,  and  an 
old  man,  too,  I  was  quickly  made  aware  that  I  had  a 
big  piece  of  work  cut  out  for  me.  So  strong  was  he 
on  his  legs  that  he  all  but  succeeded  in  recovering  his 
balance  ;  but  I  had  tackled  him  low  and  hard,  and  the 
shock  carried  him  just  a  trifle  too  far.  Dropping  his 
lantern,  he  wound  both  of  his  long  ape-like  arms  about 
my  neck.  I  felt  the  muscles  of  my  jaw  relax,  and  my 
tongue  fell  out  helplessly  ;  I  was  suffocating,  dying. 
Then  we  went  down  with  a  crash,  Perroquet  being 
underneath.  He  quivered  and  lay  still,  stunned  by 
the  crack  that  his  head  had  received  from  its  contact 
with  the  stone  flagging  of  the  court -yard.  Pant 
ing  and  confused,  I  managed  to  extricate  myself 
from  that  hideous  embrace,  and  scrambled  to  my 
feet.  Six  feet  away  stood  Maitre  Vauclot,  and  I 
was  looking  straight  into  the  muzzle  of  the  brown 
pistol  -  barrel  that  lay  along  the  hollow  of  his 
arm. 

I  found  myself  vaguely  wondering  why  he  did  not 
fire.  Perhaps  he  had  already  done  so,  and  the  bullet 
was  even  now  in  my  brain,  in  my  heart.  Strange 
that  I  did  not  fall  !  How  long  does  it  take  a  man  to 
die  with  a  leaden  ball  in  his  head  ?  One  by  one  the 
moments  passed,  and  then  the  cloud  that  fogged  my 
brain  lifted,  and  I  knew  that  I  was  still  waiting.  The 
eyes  that  stared  into  mine  suddenly  hardened  ;  the 
notary  had  recognized  me. 

"Ah,  my  young  friend  who  corresponds  with  his 
sister  in  Alsace  !  This  is  twice  to-day  that  you  are  in 
my  house.  Well,  you  are  persistent,  and  perhaps  you 


MAITRE    VAUCLOT    DINES 

had  better  stay  altogether.  See  !  I  have  but  to  crook 
my  finger,  so." 

"  By  all  means,"  I  retorted.  "  The  report  will  be 
the  signal  for  your  own  destruction.  My  friends  are 
not  far  off." 

"  Wrong  again,  my  dear  sir  ;  an  air  -  pistol  makes 
no  noise.  But  stand  up  there,"  and  he  eyed  me,  cock 
ing  his  head  from  side  to  side,  as  though  he  were  a 
connoisseur  about  to  pass  judgment  upon  a  doubtful 
antique.  Then  he  spoke  calmly,  deliberately: 

"  Perhaps,  after  all,  you  have  some  interesting  in 
formation  to  give  me — secrets  of  your  own,  eh?  Cer 
tainly  you  show  great  persistence  in  prying  into 
mine." 

There  was  no  possible  reply  for  me  to  make.  His 
tone  of  polite  irony  never  wavered  as  he  went  on : 

"  You  had  your  warning,  and  you  refused  to  profit 
by  it.  Very  well,  monsieur,  we  shall  be  well  ac 
quainted  before  we  part.  Understand,  too,  that  when 
I  propose  to  know  a  man,  I  am  accustomed  to  look 
well  below  the  surface.  I  am  not  content  with  exter 
nals,  and  so  I  cut,  I  dig,  I  probe — I  find  the  real  man ; 
I  lay  him  before  me  as  though  I  were  his  God.  Ah, 
you  comprehend  my  meaning  ;  we  are  beginning  to 
know  each  other  already  — that  is  good." 

The  heap  of  clothes  that  was  Perroquet  stirred,  and 
he  groaned  feebly.  His  master  kicked  at  him  with 
deliberate  and  intelligent  directness  ;  there  is  a  nerve 
ganglion  at  the  point  of  the  elbow  that  can  be  touched 
with  effect  by  one  who  knows  where  to  find  it.  The 
wretch  started  up  as  though  he  had  received  an  elec 
tric  shock. 

"  Quick !  you  pig,  and  give  us  a  light  ahead  there. 
Now,  monsieur,  if  you  will  be  so  good." 

Arrived  at  the  office,  I  was  motioned  to  a  chair,  and 
Vauclot  seated  himself  at  the  big  table,  with  the  pis- 

99 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

tol  lying  within  easy  reach  of  his  hand.  I  waited — 
not  that  I  feared  the  chance  of  a  bullet,  but  because 
there  were  other  interests  than  my  own  life  at  stake. 
When  I  did  make  my  spring,  I  must  be.  reasonably 
sure  of  the  ground  under  me.  I  kept  my  eyes  upon 
my  captor's  face  ;  I  paid  no  attention  to  the  ques 
tions  that  he  put  to  me  ;  I  hoped  that  my  contempt 
uous  indifference  might  annoy  him — that  it  might 
draw  him  off  his  guard  for  the  one  precious  moment 
that  I  wanted.  An  admirable  idea,  was  it  not?  But 
listen. 

The  next  time  you  go  to  the  Zoo  make  your  way  to 
the  great  bird-cage  where  the  birds  of  prey — the 
eagles,  the  falcons,  the  vultures  —  blink  sleepily  on 
their  perches.  Poke  at  one  of  them  with  your  um 
brella,  and  notice  how  the  bird  receives  the  insult. 
You  will  see  the  pupils  visibly  dilating,  and  the  filmy 
inner  eyelid  drawing  back  all  around  the  circle.  That 
is  the  nictitating  membrane  through  which  he  looks 
at  the  sun,  and  only  opens  when  he  desires  to  para 
lyze  his  prey. 

Have  I  spoken  before  of  the  brilliant,  changeful, 
hawk-like  eyes  under  the  white  thatch  of  those  cav 
ernous  eyebrows?  I  saw  them  now  bent  full  upon 
me  ;  the  outer  lids  had  widened  to  their  utmost,  ex 
posing  the  grayish  membrane  that  lay  beneath  them. 
The  next  instant  this  inner  veil  had  parted,  and  I  was 
looking  into  the  pit. 

From  where  I  sat  it  seemed  an  infinite  distance  to 
the  big  table.  I  saw  my  adversary  rise  from  his  chair 
and  come  towards  me,  but  I  was  not  alarmed — it 
would  be  millions  of  years  before  he  would  be  near 
enough  to  touch  me,  and  I  should  have  plenty  of 
time  in  which  to  slip  aside,  to  run  away. 

Fool  that  I  was  !  I  had  forgotten  how  fast  he 
walked ;  already  an  eternity  had  passed,  my  last  yard 

100 


MAITRE    VAUCLOT    DINES 

of  vantage  had  been  swallowed  up — God !     He  was 
putting  out  his  hand — 

But  that  final  step  was  never  taken.  He  stopped  short, 
with  his  head  thrust  far  forward,  and  as  he  listened, 
his  delicately  pointed  ears  quivered  and  stood  erect, 
as  though  controlled  by  the  flexible  aural  muscles  be 
longing  to  the  lower  animals.  It  was  not  a  human 
being,  but  a  wild  beast  trapped,  upon  which  I  looked. 
The  torpor  which  had  benumbed  my  brain  and  para 
lyzed  my  limbs  had  passed  away,  but  for  the  moment 
I  went  physically  sick.  Upon  whose  voice  had  Maitre  . 
Vauclot  deemed  it  well  to  wait  ? 

And  then  upon  my  duller  senses  smote  the  vibra 
tions  of  a  sound,  penetrating  and  compelling.  Then 
it  came  again,  sliding  upward,  through  discordant  in 
tervals,  to  a  nerve-shaking  shriek,  and  then  dropping 
back  to  its  fundamental  bass.  The  roar  of  the  lion 
in  his  jungle,  the  crash  of  elemental  discords — these 
are  indeed  awe-inspiring,  but  after  all  they  are  defi 
nite,  material,  self-limited.  It  was  the  human  quality 
thrilling  through  the  mighty  crescendo  of  this  un 
known  sound  that  stilled  the  pulse  and  loosened  the 
knees  of  him  who  listened.  It  was  the  voice  of  the 
people,  thick,  savage,  and  confused  ;  the  merciless 
note  of  the  wild  beast  that  dares  to  utter  his  cry 
only  when  men  are  no  longer  men,  but  only  units  in 
that  formless,  monstrous  thing  which  we  call  the  mob. 
And  we  three  who  listened  drew  close  together,  and 
our  hands  touched  ;  for  one  brief  moment  we  were 
conscious  only  of  one  common  humanity,  and  of  one 
common  peril.  And  so  we  waited. 


CHAPTER  XII 

THE    WOLF    AT   THE    DOOR 

was  Vauclot's  wit  that  first  recovered 
its  keen  edge,  and  was  ready  to  strike 
back  at  the  enemy  as  yet  invisible  and 
unknown.  With  one  spring  he  had 
gained  the  window  overlooking  the 
street,  and  I  was  at  his  side  as  he  threw  it  up. 
The  thoroughfare  was  black  with  people,  surging 
hither  and  thither,  and  yet  controlled  by  one  defi 
nite  and  accepted  purpose.  Already  blows  were  fall 
ing  upon  the  street  entrance  to  the  "yellow  house" 
— men  beating  upon  the  iron-studded  oak  with  their 
bare  fists,  unmindful  of  lacerated  knuckles  and  broken 
nails. 

"  Bring  axes!"  was  the  cry,  caught  up  and  repeated 
by  a  hundred  throats,  and  a  score  of  men  on  the 
outer  fringe  of  the  crowd  started  off  on  the  run. 

The  meaning  of  the  situation  was  not  difficult  to 
read.  Undoubtedly  Achille  had  told  his  story,  and  a 
spark  runs  quickly  through  tinder.  There  are  occa 
sions  upon  which  the  law's  delay  may  seem  intoler 
ably  unrighteous  to  the  people,  in  whose  name  all 
judgment  must  be  given.  At  such  a  time  it  is  every 
man's  duty  to  see  that  justice  is  done. 

"  Remember  our  friend  Berger  !"  shouted  some  one 
deep  in  the  crowd,  and  again  that  terrifying  assent 
went  up  into  the  darkening  sky.  And  then,  forcing 

102 


THE    WOLF    AT    THE    DOOR 

her  way  to  the  front,  came  a  woman  for  whom  the 
throng  made  way  with  cheers  and  laughter.  Bare 
headed,  and  with  a  man's  coat  flung  carelessly  across 
her  shoulders,  she  came  to  claim  her  post  in  the  fore 
front  as  a  natural  right — for  this  was  Mile.  Agathe,  a 
redoubtable  woman  and  maternal  aunt  to  my  poor 
Achille.  In  her  hand  was  a  pannier  filled  with  a  color 
less  liquid.  Petroleum,  I  guessed,  and  rightly — per 
haps  she  had  learned  how  to  use  it  in  those  wild  days 
of  1870. 

Mattre  Vauclot  had  turned,  and  was  talking  on  his 
fingers  to  Perroquet.  The  deaf  mute  nodded,  and  left 
the  room. 

"  The  police  ?"  I  said,  inquiringly. 

"  Bah  !"  he  answered,  shortly.  "  It  will  be  twenty 
minutes  before  they  come  at  all,  and  then  they  will 
do  nothing.  But  if  Perroquet  can  get  the  grating 
into  place  I  will  snap  my  fingers  at  the  assassins.  And 
for  a  second  string,  there  is  the  iron  door  at  the  bot 
tom  of  the  staircase.  Kindly  hold  the  light  for  me 
while  I  secure  it." 

I  took  a  candle  from  one  of  the  wall  sconces  and 
stood  on  the  landing,  while  Vauclot  descended  the 
stairs  and  closed  and  bolted  the  iron-plated  door  lead 
ing  into  the  court-yard.  If  the  mob  did  succeed  in 
forcing  the  outer  entrance,  this  barrier  should  keep 
them  busy  for  at  least  a  quarter  of  an  hour  longer. 

We  went  back  into  the  office,  and  I  opened  one  of 
the  rear  windows  looking  upon  the  court-yard  and 
leaned  out.  I  was  surprised  to  see  Perroquet  there, 
and  it  was  only  then  that  I  understood  what  his  master 
had  meant  by  getting  the  grating  into  place.  I  now 
saw  that  the  deaf-mute  was  hard  at  work  upon  a  pair 
of  iron  gates  that  were  intended  to  protect  the  inner 
entrance  of  the  vaulted  passage  leading  to  the  street. 
Evidently  they  had  not  been  used  for  a  long  time,  for 

103 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

the  hinges  were  rusty,  and  desperately  hard  to  move. 
Already  there  was  a  thunder  of  blows  upon  the  outer 
or  street  door — the  axes  must  have  arrived  at  last, 
and  Perroquet  would  have  to  be  quick.  I  ran  to  the 
opposite  window.  The  axes  were  biting  deeply  into 
the  solid  oak  door,  and  the  splinters  were  flying 
bravely.  It  was  only  a  matter  of  seconds  now. 

Again  I  was  at  the  inner  window,  and,  forgetting  all 
about  the  deaf-mute's  infirmity,  I  shouted  at  him  that 
the  wolves  were  even  now  breaking  through.  God 
in  heaven !  How  slowly  the  man  works.  And  yet  if 
he  cannot  get  the  gates  closed  in  time,  he  at  least  is 
lost,  for  by  the  closing  of  the  iron  door  his  amiable 
master  has  cut  off  his  only  line  of  retreat. 

In  my  excitement  I  had  thrown  the  window  wide 
open,  and  was  leaning  far  out  over  the  sill.  The 
sweep  of  the  tragedy  had  already  included  me  in  its 
forward  movement ;  I  was  no  longer  the  mere  specta 
tor,  the  casual  looker-on.  Bravery,  even  in  an  evil 
cause,  must  always  command  a  man's  sympathy,  and 
for  the  moment  I  was  heart  and  soul  upon  the  side  of 
that  silent  figure,  working  single-handed  against  all 
the  powers  of  darkness  and  of  death.  Scoundrel  and 
brute  as  I  knew  him  to  be,  I  could  not  harden  myself 
into  indifference  as  I  watched  and  waited.  Whatever 
else  a  brave  man  may  be,  he  is  the  hero  only  at  the 
supreme  moment. 

Even  now  it  seemed  possible  that  he  might  succeed. 
From  the  noise  in  the  street  I  knew  that  the  outer 
door  must  be  shaking  on  its  hinges,  but  Perroquet 
had  at  last  succeeded  in  starting  the  refractory  gate. 
With  one  last  effort  of  strength  he  swung  the  two 
leaves  together ;  he  had  only  to  slip  the  bolt  into  place 
and  he  was  safe.  But  that,  too,  was  rusty,  and  for  a 
second  or  so  it  resisted  his  efforts ;  then  it  moved,  it 
had  almost  reached  its  socket — 

104 


THE    WOLF    AT    THE    DOOR 

A  plunge  and  a  roar,  and  the  human  wave  had 
broken  through.  There  was  a  little  eddy  around  the 
spot  where  Perroquet  had  but  just  now  stood  alone, 
and  I  caught  one  glimpse  of  an  arm  thrown  upward. 
There  was  nothing  more  to  see,  and  yet  I  shut  my 
eyes. 

Now  the  whirlpool  had  disappeared,  and  the  crowd, 
as  though  moved  by  a  common  impulse,  separated  to 
either  side.  A  vacant  space  ;  nothing  there  but  a  tiny 
fragment  of  an  old  velveteen  coat.  And  yet  Perro 
quet  had  been  a  stout  man  in  his  day. 

A  big  butcher,  who  stood  directly  under  the  gas 
flare,  bent  forward  and  wiped  his  hands  upon  Mile. 
Agathe's  coarse  black  hair  ;  she  looked  back  at  him 
and  smiled. 

"At  your  service,  neighbor,"  she  said,  good- 
humoredly,  "but  you  are  too  particular,  seeing  that 
the  work  is  only  just  begun.  Hallo  !  up  there." 

The  sea  of  white  faces  seemed  to  rise  up  to  meet 
me  ;  in  another  moment  I  should  have  fallen  into  the 
abyss.  But  a  strong  hand  drew  me  back. 

"Ft  done!  my  young  man,"  said  Vauclot,  irritably. 
"Are  you  then  so  enamored  with  manhandling  that 
you  desire  to  experiment  with  it  in  person?  Let  the 
swine  rend  each  other,"  he  concluded,  contemptuously, 
as  the  court-yard  re-echoed  with  execrations.  "  It  is 
their  amusement  and  our  opportunity." 

"Our  opportunity?"  I  repeated,  mechanically. 

"We  are  in  the  same  boat  now,"  he  said,  coolly. 
"  These  fellows  make  no  distinction  between  fur  and 
feather,  when  once  their  blood  is  up,  and  I  advise  you 
to  keep  well  out  of  sight.  One  moment,  now,  and  I 
shall  be  ready,"  and  he  turned  again  to  the  pile  of 
papers  that  he  was  swiftly  sorting  out  upon  the  big 
table. 

It  was  true  enough,  what  he  said.  The  mob,  in 
105 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

their  unreason,  would  take  no  accounting  of  their 
vengeance  until  it  was  finally  completed.  My  pres 
ence  in  the  "  yellow  house  "  was  a  sufficient  death- 
warrant  in  itself ;  not  even  Achille  could  save  me, 
did  I  fall  alive  into  those  greedy  outstretched  hands. 

The  methodical  Maitre  Vauclot  made  up  his  papers 
into  a  bundle,  and  thrust  them  into  an  inside  pocket. 
Then  he  looked  up  at  me. 

"The  iron  door  gives  us  fifteen  minutes  grace,  for 
they  will  have  to  send  for  a  dynamite  cartridge.  If 
you  want  to  save  your  skin,  you  had  better  follow  me 
implicitly." 

The  blind  instinct  of  self-preservation  was  upon 
me,  and  I  stepped  forward,  ready  to  do  the  bidding 
of  this  stronger  will.  Then  I  stopped  short,  weighed 
down  by  that  curious  sense  of  something  forgotten, 
of  duty  left  undone.  There  was  something,  somebody 
else — du  Midi  !  Ah,  now  it  all  comes  back,  clearing 
my  brain  of  its  cobweb  of  horrors  and  making  a 
man  of  me  again.  The  air-pistol  still  lay  on  the 
table ;  I  picked  it  up  and  held  it  ready  for  use. 
Vauclot  turned  at  the  moment,  and  our  eyes  met. 
Then  he  stepped  back  a  pace  or  two.  It  was  my  turn, 
and  he  knew  it. 

"  You  need  my  assistance  to  insure  your  escape,"  I 
said,  coming  close  to  him.  "  You  shall  have  it,  but 
only  upon  conditions,  and  first :  Where  is  the  Cheva 
lier  du  Midi  ?" 

"  In  my  own  room,  the  back  one  on  the  second 
floor.  But  the  man  is  a  helpless  burden,  you  are 
only  throwing  away  your  own  chance." 

"  I  will  be  the  judge  of  that,"  I  answered,  briefly. 
"  Lead  on  !"  and  I  fingered  the  trigger-guard  sugges 
tively. 

We  found  the  Chevalier  still  dressed,  and  lying 
upon  the  outside  of  the  bed.  He  was  in  a  deep  sleep, 

1 06 


THE    WOLF    AT    THE    DOOR 

and  it  was  impossible  to  rouse  him.  The  opiate  must 
have  been  a  powerful  one,  and  it  would  probably  re 
tain  its  effects  for  several  hours  to  come. 

"What  is  your  plan?"  I  asked. 

"A  rope-ladder,"  he  answered.  "The  ell  of  the 
house  runs  clear  to  the  Rue  du  Vieux  Colombier,  and 
it  is  not  likely  that  any  one  will  be  on  guard  there." 

"Where  is  the  ladder  ?" 

"  It  is  intended  to  be  lowered  through  a  window  of 
the  attic-room  on  the  top  floor.  The  reel  is  heavy, 
and  I  cannot  manage  it  alone." 

I  bent  over  the  unconscious  form  of  the  young  man, 
and  slewed  it  around  so  that  I  could  get  my  hands 
under  his  arm-pits. 

"Take  his  feet,"  I  ordered,  curtly.  I  waited  until 
Vauclot  had  obeyed,  and  then  thrust  the  pistol  into  a 
pocket  and  assumed  my  end  of  the  burden.  We 
moved  forward  a  few  steps. 

"  It  is  impossible,"  said  the  old  man,  sullenly.  ''  I 
have  not  the  strength — 

A  thunderous  crash  re-echoed  through  the  house. 
The  door  must  have  given  way,  and  the  wolves  were 
even  now  in  possession.  Confused  cries  and  the 
sound  of  heavy,  hurrying  feet  filled  our  ears.  My 
unwilling  ally  made  no  further  objection,  and  we 
started  off  with  our  load,  a  dead  weight  of  one  hun 
dred  and  sixty  pounds,  and  no  joke  even  for  young 
muscles.  I  was  glad  enough  to  stop  for  a  moment 
on  the  next  landing,  while  Vauclot  was  unlocking  the 
door  of  the  enclosed  stairway  leading  to  the  attic 
floor. 

This  last  flight  was  heart-breaking,  the  stairs  being 
unusually  narrow  and  having  a  double  turn  in  them. 
But  at  last  we  made  it,  the  first  step  on  the  road  to 
safety.  Vauclot  looked  ready  to  collapse,  and  I  had 
to  help  him  to  a  chair  and  give  him  a  mouthful  of 

107 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

brandy  to  hearten  him.  It  would  be  several  minutes 
before  he  would  be  able  to  move,  and  in  the  mean 
time  I  might  be  learning  something  about  the  move 
ments  of  the  enemy.  I  went  down  the  last  flight  of 
steps,  unlocked  the  door  at  the  bottom,  and  listened 
attentively. 

So  far  as  I  could  make  out  the  mob  were  still  en 
gaged  in  the  agreeable  occupation  of  looting  the  first- 
floor  rooms.  But  at  any  moment  a  straggler  might 
appear,  and  the  avenger  of  blood  would  not  be  far 
behind  him.  It  would  not  take  long  to  search  those 
empty  rooms  on  the  second  and  third  floors,  and  I 
concluded  that,  with  or  without  Vauclot's  assistance, 
I  had  not  an  instant  to  lose.  I  was  up  the  stairs 
again  in  a  couple  of  bounds,  but  of  my  two  compan 
ions  only  the  unconscious  du  Midi  remained.  Maitre 
Vauclot  had  disappeared. 

There  was  no  time  to  speculate  upon  the  mystery 
of  his  desertion.  In  one  corner  of  the  room  a  large 
closet  had  been  built  out,  and  this  I  found  to  be 
locked.  In  all  probability  it  was  intended  to  mask 
the  window  through  which  the  rope-ladder  ran,  and 
my  treacherous  ally  might  even  now  be  making  his 
escape.  I  pounded  upon  the  door,  and  then  tried  to 
break  it  down.  Impossible,  for  it  was  strongly  made, 
and  the  lock  held  firmly.  And  even  if  I  could  have 
found  instruments  with  which  to  batter  my  way  in, 
the  operation  would  have  taken  too  much  time,  and 
would  have  made  too  much  noise. 

Now  I  had  not  entered  upon  this  adventure  of  the 
"yellow  house"  without  taking  the  precautions  that 
were  obvious  and  within  my  reach.  Chief  among 
them  was  the  patent  fire-escape  rope  which  I  wore 
coiled  about  my  waist,  and  which  was  concealed  by 
my  outer  garments  from  ordinary  observation.  This 
rope  was  of  silk,  and  weighed  but  a  few  ounces.  But 

108 


THE    WOLF    AT    THE    DOOR 

it  was  guaranteed  to  support  a  weight  of  seven 
hundred  pounds.  The  operator  stood  with  his  feet  in 
a  sort  of  stirrup,  and  regulated  the  speed  of  his  de 
scent  by  means  of  a  friction-clutch  attached  to  a  pul 
ley-block.  The  mechanism  was  ingenious  and  effec 
tive,  and  I  need  hardly  add  that  it  was  the  invention 
of  one  of  my  own  countrymen.  I  had  brought  it 
with  me  from  New  York — for  years  I  had  never  trav 
elled  anywhere  without  it. 

Having  unwound  the  rope,  and  put  it  into  working 
order,  I  went  to  the  other  window  in  the  room  that 
commanded  the  Rue  du  Vieux  Colombier,  and  tried 
to  measure  with  my  eye  the  distance  to  the  pave 
ment.  It  looked  pretty  far  down,  but  when  I  had  se 
cured  and  dropped  the  rope  it  seemed  to  me  that  the 
end  was  not  more  than  five  or  six  feet  short  of  the 
ground.  Of  course  I  should  have  to  chance  it ;  it  was 
only  the  difficulty  of  dealing  with  du  Midi  that  both 
ered  me. 

Army  surgeons  have  the  knack  of  carrying  a 
wounded  man  at  the  least  expenditure  of  sheer 
strength,  and  I  had  learned  the  trick  from  a  friend 
in  the  service.  I  managed  to  get  du  Midi  hoisted  on 
my  shoulders,  where  he  lay  inert  as  a  bag  of  grain, 
and  then,  with  a  sheet  that  I  had  brought  up  from  the 
bedroom,  I  managed  to  secure  him  so  that  I  might 
have  my  hands  free  to  work  the  clutch  that  controlled 
the  speed  of  our  descent.  Fortunately  the  window 
was  cut  down  low,  and  I  succeeded  at  the  first  at 
tempt  in  getting  my  feet  into  the  sling  of  the  stirrup. 
That  done,  I  had  only  to  swing  off  into  space. 

The  simple  but  effective  mechanism  worked  admira 
bly,  and  our  united  weight  of  three  hundred  pounds 
and  odd  was  well  within  the  factor  of  safety.  Down 
we  went  until  we  were  nearly  on  a  level  with  the  first- 
story  windows.  And  this  was  as  far  as  we  could  go  ; 

109 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

the  rope  was  that  much  too  short.  I  looked  below. 
It  was  fully  ten  feet  to  the  pavement — not  too  much 
of  a  drop  had  I  been  unencumbered,  but  impossible 
under  the  present  circumstances.  With  du  Midi's 
dead  weight  added  to  my  own,  the  least  consequent  of 
such  a  fall  would  be  a  broken  limb,  and  disablement 
would  be  fatal  to  our  chance  of  finally  getting  away. 
And  the  street  was  absolutely  deserted — no  help  there. 

Lights  were  gleaming  now  from  all  the  windows  of 
the  "yellow  house,"  and  every  nook  and  corner 
buzzed  as  with  a  swarm  of  angry  bees.  At  any  mo 
ment  we  might  be  discovered,  and  again  I  measured 
the  distance  to  the  ground.  If  the  drop  must  be 
made,  it  would  be  better  to  take  it  separately  rather 
than  together.  The  Chevalier  would  have  to  take  his 
chances,  but,  relieved  of  his  weight,  I  might  be  able 
to  reach  the  ground  without  a  broken  bone. 

Fending  myself  away  from  the  wall,  I  managed  to 
shift  du  Midi's  body  so  that  I  could  get  at  the  knot 
of  my  improvised  sling  of  bed-sheeting.  It  had  tight 
ened  viciously  under  the  strain,  but  at  last  I  managed 
to  start  it ;  patience  now,  and  I  should  succeed. 

There  was  the  sound  of  a  window-sash  being  quiet 
ly  opened,  and,  glancing  up,  I  saw  the  big  butcher  at 
the  second -story  window  immediately  above  our 
heads.  He  wasted  no  words,  but  struck  savagely  at 
me  with  a  meat  -  knife,  leaning  far  out  over  the  sill. 
But  we  were  hanging  at  least  four  feet  lower  than  his 
window,  and  he  could  not  reach  me,  try  as  he  would. 
In  his  vexation  he  made  as  though  he  would  fling  the 
weapon  at  my  head  ;  but  there  was  a  surer  way  of  ac 
complishing  his  purpose,  and  he  was  quick  to  see  it. 

The  rope  was  swinging  within  arm's  -  length,  and, 
reaching  out,  he  drew  it  towards  him  and  began 
hacking  at  it  with  his  knife.  It  looked  as  though 
the  Chevalier  and  I  would  go  down  together,  after  all. 

no 


THE    WOLF    AT    THE    DOOR 

The  knot  still  resisted  my  fingers,  and  although  the 
butcher's  knife  was  dull,  his  perseverance  would  un 
doubtedly  be  rewarded  in  due  time.  But  again  it  was 
not  to  be. 

At  every  window  of  the  stories  above  us  there  were 
faces  crowded  close  together,  and  staring  intently  at 
the  drama  in  the  air  that  was  being  enacted  for  their 
amusement.  The  butcher  saw  them,  and  stopped 
his  sawing  on  the  rope — a  sweeter  triumph  might  yet 
be  his. 

"  Pull  them  up,  my  brothers  !"  he  shouted,  with  a 
flourish  of  the  knife.  "  I  have  my  sickle  ready  for 
the  harvest,  but  the  rye  grows  short  this  year.  That's 
it;  together,  my  children  !" 

The  rope  tightened,  but  the  ruffians  were  so  crowded 
together  that  their  zeal  only  served  to  hamper  their 
efforts.  The  butcher  made  a  pass  at  my  head,  but 
the  rope  had  sagged  again,  and  he  missed  me  by  a 
bare  half-inch. 

"Let  Stephan  take  the  Chevalier,"  came  from  be 
low,  in  the  coolly  measured  voice  of  mademoiselle.  I 
looked  down  and  saw  that  a  coach  had  been  driven 
up  on  the  sidewalk  and  directly  under  our  point  of 
suspension.  Mademoiselle  herself  was  standing  at 
the  door  of  the  carriage,  and  under  her  direction  the 
footman  had  taken  up  his  position  on  the  coach-roof, 
and  was  ready  to  receive  my  insensible  burden. 

"Quick,  Mr.  Gary"  —and  mademoiselle  stamped 
her  little  foot  imperiously.  To  the  feminine  mind,  a 
man's  wits  seem  to  act  with  intolerable  slowness  at 
such  a  time,  and  yet  I  am  sure  that  I  did  not  lose  the 
fractional  part  of  a  second  in  passing  down  du  Midi 
into  Stephan's  strong  arms  and  following  on  my  own 
account.  There  was  a  disappointed  yell  from  above, 
and  the  big  knife  came  whirling  down,  and  stuck 
quivering  in  the  coach-roof.  The  horses  made  a  for- 

iii 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

ward  plunge,  and  the  wheels  of  the  carriage  jolted 
heavily  over  the  curb.  But  Samson  quickly  had  the 
animals  in  hand,  and  the  next  instant  we  were  all 
safe  upon  the  ground. 

Mrs.  Verriker  was  seated  in  the  coach,  her  face  as  im 
passible  as  ever,  and  her  thin  lips  set  in  straight,  rigid 
lines.  Yet  she  assisted  us  in  propping  up  the  uncon 
scious  man  in  a  corner  of  the  carriage,  and  even 
offered  the  use  of  her  smelling-salts.  I  fairly  lifted 
mademoiselle  to  her  place,  and  jumped  to  the  box- 
seat.  At  the  corner  of  the  Rue  de  Rennes  torches 
were  gleaming,  and  a  score  of  dark  forms  were  dash 
ing  towards  us.  The  coach  was  already  in  motion, 
but  one  stone  reached  its  mark  and  smashed  a  side- 
lamp.  Samson  drew  his  whip-lash  along  the  flanks  of 
his  horses,  and  they  broke  into  the  gallop. 

"  Look  behind,  m'sieu,"  said  Stephan.  I  turned.  A 
gigantic  mushroom  cloud  of  smoke  was  forming  above 
the  roof  of  the  "  yellow  house,"  and  a  tongue  of  flame 
shot  out  from  a  window. 

It  was  long  past  midnight  when  we  reached  the 
Rue  d'Alger,  but  the  General  was  still  at  work  in  the 
library.  With  Stephan's  help  I  managed  to  get  the 
Chevalier  up  to  his  room  and  put  him  to  bed.  He 
was  sleeping  now  in  a  perfectly  natural  manner,  and 
would  be  quite  himself  by  morning.  I  should  have 
been  glad  enough  to  seek  my  own  bed,  but  I  had  an 
other  duty  to  perform. 

Mademoiselle  had  joined  her  father  in  the  library, 
and  was  standing  at  the  fireplace,  drawing  off  her 
gloves.  I  walked  up  without  a  word,  and  gave  her 
the  little  leather  bag  that  I  had  taken  from  the  secret 
drawer  of  Maitre  Vauclot's  cabinet.  Her  delicately 
pencilled  eyebrows  contracted  inquiringly. 

"Open  it,"  I  said,  triumphantly,  and  the  General 

112 


THE  WOLF  AT  THE  DOOR 

got  up  from  his  chair  and  came  over  to  where  we 
were  standing. 

Mademoiselle  drew  out  the  shagreen  leather  case, 
and  her  hand  shook  as  she  prepared  to  touch  the 
spring.  The  cover  flew  back,  and  there  lay  the 
"Cardinal's  Rose,"  blazing  like  a  live  coal  in  the  rays 
of  the  argand  burner.  With  an  inarticulate  cry  the 
General  seized  the  jewel  and  pressed  it  to  his  lips. 
Then  he  held  out  his  hand  to  me. 

"  Yes ;  we  are  indebted  to  Mr.  Gary,"  assented 
mademoiselle,  smilingly. 

She  took  the  jewel  from  her  father's  hand  and 
looked  at  it  long  and  searchingly.  And  then  it  sud 
denly  slipped  from  her  fingers,  and,  rolling  across  the 
rug,  lay  on  the  hearthstone.  The  heavy  fire-bar  was 
at  mademoiselle's  hand,  and  before  either  of  us  could 
stir,  she  had  poised  and  let  it  fall  point  downward. 
The  great  ruby,  shattered  into  a  hundred  fragments, 
lay  destroyed  upon  the  hearthstone;  the  "  Cardinal's 
Rose  "  was  no  longer  in  existence. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

I    GO    OUT   TO    SERVICE 

seemed  a  long  time  before  any  one  even 
moved.  The  General's  face  was  purple. 
"  Irma  !",  he  said,  thickly  ;  then  he  fell 
back  in  a  chair  and  plucked  at  his  collar. 
"Article  de  Paris"  returned  made 
moiselle,  with  the  utmost  serenity ;  "  or,  if  you  pre 
fer,  just  plain  colored  glass." 

"What!"  roared  the  General.  He  knelt  down  on 
the  hearth,  examining  the  glittering  fragments  one 
by  one,  while  I  wondered  if  I  looked  as  foolish  as  I 
felt. 

"  She  is  quite  right,  Gary,"  said  the  General,  at  last. 
"  Nothing  but  a  clever  imitation.  And  now,  what  does 
it  all  mean?" 

Truly  the  mystery  of  the  "  Cardinal's  Rose  "  seemed 
further  than  ever  from  a  solution.  For  whose  benefit 
had  Mr.  Giles  Coventry  played  his  little  farce  ?  Had 
I  been  his  dupe,  then,  from  the  very  beginning?  No  ; 
that  could  not  be,  and  I  read  the  same  answer  in  made 
moiselle's  eyes.  Unquestionably  the  false  jewel  had 
been  prepared  to  deceive  du  Midi  alone.  Mr.  Cov 
entry  had  evidently  wanted  time  in  which  to  pull  his 
chestnuts  out  of  the  fire,  and  it  was  necessary  to  keep 
the  young  man  quiet. 

But  of  all  this,  not  a  word  to  the  General.  The 
honor  of  the  Chevalier  was  to  be  guarded  as  a  pos- 

114 


I    GO    OUT    TO    SERVICE 

session  even  more  precious  than  that  of  the  "  Cardi 
nal's  Rose"  itself.  Mademoiselle  had  taught  me  my 
lesson  ;  I  must  take  the  blunder  upon  my  own  shoul 
ders. 

"  I  have  been  stupid,  General,"  I  said,  as  easily  as  I 
could.  "  The  rascals  must  have  realized  that  I  was 
after  them  hot-foot,  and  they  threw  this  out  on  the 
chance  of  delaying  me.  However  that  may  be,  we 
have  at  least  established  one  certainty — the  double- 
dealing  of  Coventry.  The  fact  that  the  counterfeit 
stone  was  found  in  his  virtual  possession  is  presump 
tive  evidence  that  he  knows  where  the  real  one  is. 
The  clew  lies  there,  even  if  the  '  Cardinal's  Rose '  is 
missing,"  and  I  pointed  to  the  fragments  of  ruby 
glass  scattered  over  the  hearth. 

"One  moment,  Mr.  Gary,"  returned  the  General, 
and  his  voice  was  full  of  a  hard  suspicion.  "  You  for 
get  that  I  have  only  your  bare  word  for  Mr.  Coventry's 
share  in  this  affair.  It  was  from  your  hand,  and  not 
from  his,  that  I  received  the  false  ruby;  and  in  the 
absence  of  any  other  evidence  than  your  own  story, 
am  I  not  justified  in  concluding  that  the  onus  must 
at  least  be  shared  between  you  ?" 

Admirable  logic  this,  but  somewhat  embarrassing. 
I  looked  over  at  mademoiselle. 

"  It  is  true  that  neither  has  fully  succeeded  in  clear 
ing  himself,"  she  said,  slowly;  "but  if  we  must  choose 
between  them,  it  will  be  better  to  give  our  confidence 
to  Mr.  Gary. 

"  But  Coventry  already  knows — " 

"  Too  much,"  finished  his  daughter,  calmly.  "  Final 
ly,  we  have  Mr.  Gary's  parole,  and  we  know  that  it 
means  something  to  him,  or  he  need  never  have  re 
turned  at  all  to  the  Rue  d'Alger.  As  for  Mr.  Coventry, 
his  only  passport  is  his  friendship  with  the  Chevalier, 
and  there  was  a  Judas  among  the  apostles.  Decidedly, 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

we  must  give  Mr.  Gary  our  confidence — if  he  is  will 
ing  to  accept  it." 

"  But  why  should  we  treat  with  either  of  them," 
demanded  the  General,  impatiently.  "  Surely,  the 
fewer  the  better." 

"  Precisely,  but  we  are  now  one  short  of  the  few. 
Michael  has  broken  his  leg.  The  stupid  got  in  the 
way  of  an  automobile  this  morning,  and  was  taken  to 
a  hospital." 

"And  you  propose?" 

"That  Mr.  Gary  shall  assume  Michael's  role  in  our 
little  comedy.  Have  you  ever  been  out  at  service, 
Mr.  Gary  ?  No  !  that  is  unfortunate,  since  the  best  of 
references  are  required/  However,  I  dare  say  we  shall 
be  able  to  arrange  all  that,  and  now,  if  you  please, 
give  me  your  entire  attention." 

"  To-morrow  morning  Vital  will  bring  you  a  suit  of 
dark  clothes  suitable  to  your  new  condition,  and  you 
will  allow  him  to  shave  off  both  your  beard  and  your 
mustache.  At  ten  o'clock  you  will  present  yourself  in 
this  room  ready  to  assume  your  duties  as  a  footman 
in  the  household  of  Baron  Kerker." 

"  But,  mademoiselle — " 

"No  objections,  Mr.  Gary.  These  are  your  orders 
from  your  superior  officer,  and  your  part  is  to  obey — 
not  to  question  them.  Still,  you  are  entitled  to  some 
explanations,  and  M.  le  General  will  be  happy  to  satisfy 
your  reasonable  curiosity.  Your  mission  will  be  a 
delicate  one,  but  you  will  succeed ;  indeed,  I  will  ac 
cept  nothing  less  than  success.  Come,  monsieur,  are 
you  not  even  acquainted  with  the  elementary  duties 
of  your  new  profession;  do  you  not  see  that  I  am 
waiting  for  you  to  open  the  door?" 

As  I  lie  awake  in  bed,  staring  up  at  the  ceiling,  I 
go  over  in  my  mind  the  story  that  the  General  has 

116 


I    GO    OUT    TO    SERVICE 

just  imparted  to  me.  In  a  few  words,  then,  the 
Chevalier  du  Midi  is  none  other  than  Prince  Infelix, 
the  rightful  King  of  .^Etolia,  and  the  General  is  that 
same  Count  de  Czareska  who  was  prime  minister  to 
Basil  IX.  After  the  unlucky  campaign  that  ended 
with  the  defeat  at  Sarkis,  Soulian  intrigue  brought 
about  the  usurpation  of  Jehan,  and  Basil  Agricola  fled 
to  England,  where  he  died.  All  this  happened  twenty 
years  ago,  when  Infelix  was  a  child  in  his  nurse's 
arms.  General  Czareska  was  appointed  legal  guardian 
to  the  young  prince,  and  the  exiles  lived  quietly  near 
London,  waiting — waiting  for  a  chance  to  strike  back 
at  the  rebels  and  traitors  who  ruled  yEtolia  from  the 
steps  of  the  Soulian  throne.  And  all  these  years  the 
faithful  at  home  had  kept  in  constant  communication 
with  their  expatriated  leaders.  Loyalty  dies  hard 
among  the  granite  hills  of  ^Etolia,  and  the  Agricola 
must  some  day  come  to  his  own  again.  So  much  for 
past  history. 

It  was  in  January  of  this  year  that  the  Prince  at 
tained  his  majority,  and,  depending  upon  favorable 
advices  from  ^Etolia,  General  Czareska  determined 
that  the  time  had  come  for  a  forward  step.  The  first 
move  was  to  Paris,  and  the  work  of  reorganizing  the 
revolutionary  party  began  at  once. 

We  are  now  at  the  last  of  June,  and  the  work  is 
well  advanced.  Arms  and  supplies  have  been  dis 
tributed  throughout  yEtolia,  plans  of  campaign  have 
been  formulated,  and  at  any  time  the  word  may  be 
given.  With  General  Czareska  at  the  head  of  the 
army,  and  the  young  Prince  riding  at  his  side,  the 
country-side  is  expected  to  rise  at  the  first  notes  of 
the  bugle.  To  strike  as  swiftly  and  as  hard  as  pos 
sible  is  the  aim  of  the  Legitimist  leaders,  and,  in 
deed,  the  success  of  the  movement  depends  almost 
entirely  upon  its  celerity,  as  may  be  easily  shown. 

117 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

Nominally,  yEtolia  is  a  tributary  to  Soulia,  but  un 
der  the  treaty  of  Naples  it  retains  its  autonomy,  and 
Soulia  is  only  entitled  to  interfere  under  circum 
stances  of  extraordinary  emergency.  The  usurper 
Jehan  is  completely  under  Soulian  influence,  and  does 
everything  in  his  power  to  further  Soulian  interests. 
In  return,  he  enjoys  the  open  friendship  and  protec 
tion  of  the  Caliph,  to  the  infinite  disgust  of  the  vast 
majority  of  his  own  subjects. 

Supposing,  now,  that  the  revolution  in  favor  of  the 
deposed  Agricolas  is  fairly  under  way,  it  is  evident 
that  Jehan  will  look  to  Soulia  for  aid.  But  war  costs 
money,  and  every  money-lender  in  Europe  knows 
just  how  much  the  Caliph's  note-of-hand  is  worth. 
Everybody  knows,  again,  that  the  Soulian  army  pay 
is  six  months  in  arrears,  and  that  there  is  discontent 
everywhere.  Unless  Soulia  can  succeed  in  floating  a 
fresh  loan,  it  will  be  impossible  for  her  to  extend  any 
material  aid  to  Jehan.  But  she  will  do  her  utmost  to 
get  that  money  ;  Soulia  knows  that  it  will  be  well 
expended  in  keeping  Jehan  on  the  throne,  for  there  is 
many  a  fat  chicken  to  be  had  for  the  plucking  in  the 
^tolian  tax  budget,  and  Soulian  hands  are  always 
itching. 

And  so  the  fate  of  ./Etolia  lies  in  the  hands  of  the 
money-brokers.  If  Soulia's  support  can  be  rendered 
nugatory  through  the  refusal  of  the  money -barons 
to  loosen  their  purse-strings,  why,  then  the  revolu 
tion  has  an  excellent  fighting  chance.  But  once  let 
Soulia  get  her  loan,  and  we  may  as  well  take  off  our 
orange -and- black  cockades  and  go  home,  without 
waiting  for  the  green  curtain.  The  ^Etolian  revolu 
tionary  army,  which  is  being  recruited  in  the  vicinity 
of  Kar,  will  be  barely  superior  in  numbers  to  Jehan's 
mercenaries,  and  decidedly  inferior  in  equipment. 
With  Soulia  at  his  back,  Jehan  must  win. 

118 


I    GO    OUT    TO    SERVICE 

This  explains,  then,  why  the  Czareska  party  are 
still  staying  on  in  Paris.  The  agents  of  Soulia  are 
also  here,  and  up  to  this  time  they  have  been  thwarted 
at  every  turn  by  our  counter  -  manipulation  of  the 
financial  sponge.  And  in  the  mean  time  the  revolu 
tionary  movement  is  gaining  strength  with  every 
hour  that  goes  by  ;  our  last  advices  are  to  the  effect 
that  the  fiery  torch  may  be  started  on  its  travels 
within  the  next  ten  days.  Soulia  must  get  the 
money  within  that  time,  or  it  will  come  too  late. 

Now  there  is  but  one  regularly  qualified  financial 
practitioner  in  all  Europe,  and  that  man  is,  of  course, 
Baron  Kerker,  head  of  the  banking-house  of  Kerker 
&  Company,  in  the  Rue  de  la  Banque.  But  although 
the  Baron  is  accustomed  to  being  called  in  to  attend 
upon  desperate  cases,  no  one  has  ever  accused  him  of 
doing  anything  for  the  sick  man  without  the  custom 
ary  quid  pro  quo.  He  has  the  money,  but  he  will  not 
lend  it  to  Soulia  without  proper  security,  and  he  will 
want  something  better  than  a  third  or  fourth  lien 
upon  the  monstrously  encumbered  revenues  of  the 
empire.  Unquestionably  the  Baron  will  have  his 
pound  of  flesh  duly  cut  off  and  delivered  at  his  door 
before  he  will  advance  a  franc  upon  it.  Sentiment 
cuts  no  figure  in  his  business,  and  this  fact  is  in  our 
favor.  But  let  the  pledge  be  forthcoming,  and  the 
pawn-broker  will  not  hesitate.  Can  Soulia  produce 
the  security,  and  within  these  ten  days  ?  There  lies 
the  danger. 

Of  course  we  have  provided,  so  far  as  possible, 
for  every  contingency.  We  have  our  agents  every 
where,  even  in  the  counting-room  of  Kerker  & 
Company,  and  we  can  be  sure  of  knowing  everything 
that  happens  there.  But  the  Baron  is  a  clever  man, 
and  this  is  not  the  kind  of  business  that  may  be 
openly  transacted  on  the  Bourse.  Moreover,  there  is 

119 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

always  a  side-door  to  all  the  establishments  that  bear 
the  three  golden  balls  as  their  trade  emblem.  Fashion 
able  clients  do  not  care  to  stand  in  the  common  stalls, 
and  rub  shoulders  with  the  miserable  creatures  who 
ask  humbly  for  a  few  sous  upon  the  family  bedstead. 
People  who  have  diamonds  and  sables  which  they 
wish  to  store  at  the  Mont  de  Pidtt  are  received  in  the 
drawing-room,  and  there  is  always  a  glass  of  wine  to 
celebrate  the  conclusion  of  the  business.  It  would 
be  a  grave  oversight  to  think  that  Baron  Kerker 
leaves  all  business  cares  behind  him  when  he  drives 
away  from  the  Rue  de  la  Banque  every  afternoon  at 
four.  In  his  magnificent  residence  on  the  Champs- 
Elysees  there  is  a  certain  room  which  the  Baron 
jocularly  calls  his  "Petite  Bourse,"  and  many  a  finan 
cial  lance  has  been  broken  within  its  heavily  padded 
and  sound-proof  walls.  Finally  Michael,  who  has 
been  on  guard  duty  in  the  Kerker  household,  is  in 
capacitated,  and  mademoiselle  has  ordered  me  to  take 
his  place  in  wearing  the  Kerker  livery.  I  dislike  the 
role  to  which  I  have  been  assigned ;  I  will  protest 
against  it — in  the  morning. 

I  am  almost  ashamed  to  write  it  down,  but  when  I 
did  meet  Mademoiselle  in  the  morning,  I  was  clean 
shaven  and  attired  in  that  beastly  suit  of  undertaker's 
black  that  is  also  the  badge  of  respectable  domestic 
servitude.  Somehow  mademoiselle's  little  hands  are 
masterful  instruments  for  the  moulding  of  men's  wills 
to  her  liking,  and  I  forgot  all  about  my  protest.  I  only 
knew  that  I  was  to  serve  her,  and  I  was  happy  in 
being  chosen  to  do  her  will.  I  had  been  dealing 
with  situations,  and  now  I  was  about  to  take  one — a 
trifling  difference  after  all. 

Mademoiselle  was  in  high  spirits  when  I  presented 
myself  for  my  final  instructions.  She  complimented 
jne  upon  my  get-up,  and  was  good  enough  to  add  that 

120 


I    GO    OUT    TO    SERVICE 

I  looked  stupid  enough  to  deceive  anybody,  and  should 
make  an  admirable  lackey.  If  all  went  well,  and  I 
cared  to  continue  in  the  profession,  something  would 
certainly  be  found  for  me  at  the  ^Etolian  court.  I 
might  even  aspire  to  becoming  major-domo  of  the 
palace  at  Kar. 

"One  moment,  mademoiselle.  You  gave  me  to 
understand,  distinctly,  that  if  I  went  to  the  'yellow 
house*  I  must  not  look  for  any  assistance  from  you. 
How  did  it  happen,  then,  that  you  were  on  hand  at  the 
critical  time?" 

"  The  explanation  is  very  simple,  Mr.  Gary.  I  had 
been  attending  one  of  Madame  St.  Just's  Sunday 
evening  musicales,  and  we  were  on  our  way  home — 
that  is  all." 

"  But  the  Rue  du  Vieux  Colombier,"  I  persisted, 
rashly,  "  is  hardly  on  the  direct  route  between  the 
Boulevard  St. -Germain  and  the  Rue  d'Alger." 

"  My  way,  monsieur,  is  the  one  that  suits  me.  Do  I 
make  myself  understood  ?" 

She  swept  from  the  room  like  a  veritable  queen,  and 
I  stood  gazing  blankly  after  her  with  my  air-castles 
tumbling  about  my  ears.  I  had  been  fool  enough  to 
think  that  she  had  cared,  that  it  had  made  some  differ 
ence — I  knew  better  now.  I  had  simply  been  deceiv 
ing  myself,  and  at  last  my  eyes  were  open.  True,  they 
smarted  a  little,  but  then  some  of  the  dust  from  my 
fallen  castles  may  have  gotten  into  them,  or  else  I 
had  been  looking  too  long  at  the  sun.  Well,  it  was 
only  another  page  turned  down,  and  I  must  not  for 
get  the  duty  to  which  I  had  been  assigned,  and  which 
I  must  still  perform,  to  the  utmost  of  my  ability.  I 
called  a  cab,  and  gave  the  driver  the  address  of  Baron 
Kerker  on  the  Champs-Elysdes. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

THE    "  PETITE    BOURSE  " 

was  on  Monday  that  I  entered  the 
household  service  of  Baron  Kerker,  and 
to-day  is  Wednesday.  I  encountered  no 
difficulty  whatever  in  the  preliminary 
formalities  of  my  engagement;  it  was 
evident  that  mademoiselle  had  spun  her  threads  in 
every  possible  direction.  Of  course  I  made  blunders 
at  first,  and  I  must  learn  to  keep  my  eyes  down,  and 
to  walk  without  clattering  my  heels.  And  yesterday 
I  forgot  to  warm  the  Figaro  before  handing  it  to  the 
Baron,  and  was  called  an  imbecile  in  consequence. 

As  situations  go,  I  ought  to  be  well  content.  I  am 
excellently  housed  and  fed,  and  I  find  that  the  repu 
tation  of  the  Kerker  establishment  stands  high  in  the 
world  below  stairs.  A  good  home  and  a  generous 
master — what  more  can  be  desired  ? 

This  master  of  ours  is  worth  studying.  He  belongs 
body  and  soul  to  that  curious  social  class,  the  haute 
finance,  and  it  is  a  type  that  is  differentiated  sharply 
in  these  days  of  specialization.  Perhaps  the  line  of 
cleavage  can  be  more  easily  traced  here  in  the  Old 
World  than  on  our  side  of  the  water,  where  we  are  all 
supposed  to  be  men  of  affairs. 

In  appearance  the  Baron  is  short  and  stout,  and  he 
would  be  vulgar-looking  except  for  certain  lines  about 
the  mouth  and  temples.  Perhaps  they  are  the  rulings 


THE   "PETITE    BOURSE" 

of  his  great  ledger  metaphysically  reproduced,  but  he 
will  be  a  shrewd  observer  who  undertakes  to  read  what 
is  written  on  them.  For  the  rest,  he  has  splendid 
white  teeth,  and  it  follows  naturally  that  his  chef  is 
said  to  be  the  best  in  all  Paris. 

It  is  an  odious  reflection  that  my  business  in  this 
house  is  that  of  a  spy,  and  I  shall  be  glad  when  my 
probation  is  over.  Still,  I  am  not  reduced  to  the 
humiliating  necessity  of  vulgar  eavesdropping,  and, 
indeed,  ordinary  methods  would  be  useless  here,  for 
the  thick  door  of  the  Baron's  private  den  has  no  key 
hole,  and  no  one  enters,  upon  any  pretext,  when  he  is 
receiving  clients.  And  yet  we  get  our  regular  daily 
bulletins,  as  you  shall  hear. 

It  is  most  ingeniously  contrived — that  arrangement 
of  a  phonographic  apparatus  within  the  tall  clock  that 
stands  in  the  Baron's  study,  otherwise  the  "  Petite 
Bourse."  The  clock  is  wound  up  every  morning,  and 
the  duty  has  been  specially  assigned  to  me.  It  is 
then  the  easiest  thing  in  the  world  to  remove  the 
waxen  roll  upon  which  the  record  is  made  and  to  sub 
stitute  a  fresh  one.  And  while  the  Baron  is  at  din 
ner,  every  night,  I  have  an  opportunity  to  slip  in  and 
start  the  machine  for  its  evening's  work.  The  tick 
ing  of  the  clock  covers  up  the  click,  click  of  the  mech 
anism,  and  you  may  be  assured  that  the  wonderful 
little  needle  will  not  miss  the  faintest  vibration  of  a 
sound  wave  during  the  five  or  six  hours  that  the  room 
may  be  occupied. 

Monday  night  the  Baron  had  a  large  dinner-party, 
and  he  did  not  even  enter  the  "  Petite  Bourse."  When 
I  took  the  record  to  the  hotel  in  the  Rue  d'Alger  the 
next  morning,  and  it  was  run  through  the  talking- 
machine,  we  heard  only  the  chiming  of  the  hours  from 
the  big  clock.  Tuesday  night  the  Baron  had  a  vis 
itor,  and  they  talked  for  three  hours  about — rose  cult- 

123 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

ure.  It  was  tiresome  work  to  listen  to  it  the  next 
day,  and  mademoiselle,  in  despair,  finally  snatched  the 
waxen  cylinder  from  the  machine,  and  announced  her 
intention  of  practising  the  black  art  upon  the  uncom 
municative  financier  ;  whereupon  she  stuck  it  full  of 
small  pins  and  set  it  down  on  the  fire-place  to  melt 
slowly  away.  It  may  have  been  merely  a  coincidence, 
but  that  evening  the  Baron  complained  of  having  had 
a  frightful  indigestion  all  day — literally  on  pins  and 
needles,  as  he  expressed  it. 

But  to-day  is  Wednesday,  and  I  have  high  hopes, 
for  the  Baron  is  dining  a  deux,  and  his  guest  is  none 
other  than  Mr.  Giles  Coventry.  For  two  mortal 
hours  I  have  been  standing  behind  his  chair,  while  he 
has  been  enjoying  an  excellent  dinner,  and  amusing 
the  Baron  with  a  succession  of  capital  stories.  Some 
of  them  are  mine,  by  the  way — real  American  jokes — 
but  Mr.  Coventry  tells  them  well,  and  I  should  like  to 
laugh  at  them  myself.  And  now  they  have  retired 
into  the  "Petite  Bourse,"  and,  after  carrying  in  the 
cordials  and  coffee,  I  return  to  my  post  at  the  bot 
tom  of  the  grand  staircase.  Perhaps  this  time  we 
shall  hear  something,  if  only  Mr.  Edison's  little  wheels 
continue  to  go  round. 

It  was  long  after  midnight  when  I  was  ordered  to 
call  Mr.  Coventry's  carriage.  He  seemed  to  be  in  ex 
cellent  humor,  and  whistled  softly  a  bar  or  two  of 
"Malbrouck  s'en  va  a  la  guerre"  as  I  assisted  him  with 
his  overcoat.  Suddenly  he  turned  and  looked  me 
straight  in  the  eyes.  I  did  not  flinch,  but  I  could  see 
that  the  lines  about  his  mouth  puckered  up  oddly,  as 
though  he  were  trying  to  suppress  an  amused  smile. 
And  then,  after  staring  hard  at  me  for  perhaps  half  a 
minute,  he  deliberately  took  a  twenty  -  franc  piece 
from  his  waistcoat  pocket  and  held  it  out.  It  was  a 
bad  moment,  but  luckily  I  retained  enough  presence 

124 


THE    "PETITE    BOURSE" 

of  mind  to  take  the  coin  with  an  appropriate  expres 
sion  of  gratitude,  and  Mr.  Coventry,  after  favoring 
me  with  a  final  grimace,  stepped  into  his  carriage  and 
was  whirled  away.  Had  he  recognized  me?  It  seemed 
probable ;  and  yet,  why  should  he  hold  his  hand  if  he 
were  really  certain  of  my  identity?  For  good  and 
sufficient  reasons,  no  doubt,  and  I  dare  say  that  I  shall 
learn  of  them  before  long. 

I  waited  impatiently  for  the  Baron  to  retire  to  his 
own  room,  and  so  give  me  the  opportunity  of  examin 
ing  the  trap.  At  last  he  was  off,  and  I  was  quickly  in 
the  "  Petite  Bourse."  It  was  mortifying  to  discover 
that  the  mechanism  had  run  down,  and  that  the  record 
must  consequently  be  incomplete.  Still  I  could  see 
that  the  needle  had  been  at  work  for  the  greater  part 
of  those  three  hours  of  consultation,  and  it  should 
certainly  tell  us  something.  By  eight  o'clock  the 
next  morning  I  found  an  opportunity  to  steal  away  to 
the  Rue  d'Alger.  The  General  and  mademoiselle 
were  awaiting  me  in  the  library,  and  we  lost  no  time 
in  setting  the  reproducing  machine  at  work. 

It  was  aggravating  that  Mr.  Coventry  still  contin 
ued  to  tell  his  stories,  but  for  two  interminable  hours 
the  machine  solemnly  ground  them  out,  one  after  an 
other,  and  never  did  a  really  excellent  raconteur 
have  such  an  unappreciative  audience.  Mademoiselle 
walked  the  floor  incessantly,  the  General  swore  soft 
ly  to  himself  in  some  outlandish  tongue,  and  I  glow 
ered  sulkily  over  a  succession  of  cigars.  And  then, 
suddenly : 

44  Coming  now  to  business,  my  dear  Baron  —  well, 
you  have  asked  for  security,  and  quite  properly  so. 
But  what  do  you  say  to  this  ?" 

Unfortunately  the  waxen  cylinder  is  sightless,  and 
we  have  no  means  of  determining  what  4'this"  may 
be.  And  the  Baron  is  equally  uncommunicative. 

125 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

In  reply  he  simply  expresses  a  willingness  to  take 
"  this"  into  consideration.  Mr.  Coventry  argues  long 
and  earnestly,  but  the  Baron  is  exceeding  chary  of 
committing  himself.  Twenty  million  of  francs  was 
what  Coventry  wanted,  but  after  much  haggling  he 
finally  agreed  to  accept  fifteen  millions. 

"On  the  condition,  Mr.  Coventry,  that  I  satisfy  my 
self  as  to  the  value  of  the  offered  security." 

"  Perfectly  so,  Baron  ;  but  when  shall  we  close  the 
transaction  ?  I  must  be  on  my  way  to  Soulia  by 
to-morrow  night.  I  am  already  booked  for  the  Ori 
ental  Express  leaving  at  eleven  o'clock." 

"  If  everything  is  right,  my  dear  fellow,  the  money 
shall  go  with  you." 

"And  I  shall  see  you — where  and  at  what  time?" 

''Suppose  we  say" — here  the  record  broke  off  ;  the 
needle  had  stopped  short,  and  the  remainder  of  the 
waxen  cylinder  was  blank. 

Provoking,  indeed,  but  still  certain  points  of  im 
portance  had  been  established.  In  the  first  place, 
Mr.  Giles  Coventry  was  incontestably  the  paid  agent 
of  Jehan  and  of  Soulia  ;  secondly,  he  had  apparently 
succeeded  in  finding  a  security  that  would  satisfy 
Baron  Kerker ;  and  lastly,  he  would,  if  all  went  well, 
leave  Paris,  with  the  money  in  his  possession,  this 
very  night. 

Now  we  could  not  hope  to  interfere  successfully 
with  Coventry's  movements.  He  was  too  old  a  hand 
to  expose  himself  to  any  risk,  however  remote,  and 
there  was  also  the  probability  that  he  had  recognized 
me  in  my  character  of  the  Baron's  lackey.  If  so,  he 
would  be  doubly  on  his  guard.  With  the  money  once 
in  his  hands,  he  could  laugh  at  us,  since  we  were 
hardly  prepared  for  the  desperate  extremity  of  high 
way  robbery.  Our  one  chance  was  to  prevent  the 
bargain  from  being  consummated — to  keep  the  Baron 

126 


THE    "PETITE    BOURSE" 

from  delivering  the  goods.  Very  good;  but  how  was 
it  to  be  done  ? 

It  might  be  safely  assumed  that  Coventry  would 
not  care  to  present  himself  at  the  banking-house 
in  the  Rue  de  la  Banque.  But  the  Baron  was  ac 
customed  to  leave  his  office  at  four  o'clock,  and  the 
Oriental  Express  was  scheduled  to  depart  from  the 
Gare  de  1'Est  at  eleven.  It  was  between  those  hours, 
then,  that  our  affair  might  be  expected  to  come  off,  and 
the  closest  watch  would  have  to  be  kept  on  the  Baron's 
every  movement.  But  of  what  avail  to  discover  his 
plan  of  action  unless  we  were  prepared  to  thwart  it. 

"  There  is  but  one  way,"  said  mademoiselle,  and 
then  she  leaned  forward  and  finished  the  sentence  in  a 
whisper  that  could  not  have  reached  the  curious  ears 
of  the  most  inquisitive  of  walls. 

Well,  the  proposal  was  splendidly  audacious,  but  in 
that  same  audacity  lay  its  best  chance  for  success- 
Moreover,  it  seemed  to  be  the  only  possible  solution  of 
the  difficulty.  Assuredly,  Coventry  could  not  be 
headed  off  indefinitely,  and  he  had  already  made  his 
great  point  in  bringing  the  negotiations  with  the 
Baron  to  a  virtual  conclusion.  Plainly,  the  security 
would  be  found  satisfactory,  and  the  rest  was  a  mere 
matter  of  business  detail.  The  Baron's  drafts  could 
be  intrusted  to  the  post  as  well  as  to  Mr.  Coventry's 
care,  and  it  would  be  madness  to  make  any  move  against 
either.  But  the  other  end  of  the  line !  Yes  ;  there 
we  might  strike,  and  effectively  too. 

It  was  magnificent,  the  clearness  with  which  mad 
emoiselle  proceeded  to  outline  the  scheme  of  action. 
In  half  an  hour  every  point  in  the  strategy  had  been 
rehearsed,  and  each  individual  piece  had  been  as 
signed  to  his  or  her  position  on  the  chess-board.  The 
General  hastened  away,  for  there  was  much  for  him 
to  do,  and  it  was  already  half  after  ten  o'clock.  I 

127 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

lingered  for  a  moment  upon  the  pretext  of  writing  a 
note — that  long-deferred  apology  to  Murchison.  But, 
as  usual,  I  did  not  get  along  very  far.  Mademoiselle 
had  been  standing  at  a  window,  but  now  she  came 
over  and  sat  down  opposite  me  at  the  big  table.  Her 
cheeks  were  flushed,  and  her  eyes  shone. 

"We  shall  win!  we  shall  win !"  she  repeated  over 
and  over  again.  "  But,  win  or  lose,  they  are  worth 
the  living,  these  glorious  days  and  hours.  Is  it  not 
so,  my  friend  ?" 

"  For  you,  mademoiselle — yes" — and  here  my  voice 
stuck  in  my  throat. 

"And  why  not  for  you  also?"  she  asked,  gravely. 
"Do  you  fear  that  we  should  prove  ungrateful?" 

"How  could  I  think  so,  mademoiselle,  when  the 
only  reward  I  desire  is  the  assurance  of  your  happi 
ness." 

"  My  happiness  !     Ah  yes,  my  happiness." 

She  rested  her  cheek  in  the  hollow  of  her  hand,  and 
neither  of  us  moved  nor  spoke  for  some  little  time. 
And  then  she  began  again,  speaking  very  softly: 

"Shall  I  make  my  confession,  then?  Perhaps,  hav 
ing  heard  it,  you  may  judge  me  still  more  harshly 
than  now,  but  there  is  just  a  chance  that  you  may 
understand,  and  so  I  beg  of  you  to  listen  : 

"  Do  you  know  how  poor  we  were  during  those 
long  years  that  we  spent  in  that  frightful  Kensing 
ton  ?  My  frocks,  how  shabby  they  were  !  And  my 
boots  and  my  gloves.  I  was  even  ashamed  to  go  to 
church.  Our  poverty — it  met  me  at  every  turn  ;  it 
was  the  last  and  the  bitterest  drop  in  our  cup  of  exile. 
But  if  poverty  was  the  shadow,  the  remembrance  of 
my  dear  country  furnished  the  color  of  my  childish 
days.  From  my  earliest  remembrance  it  was  the  one 
word  of  conversation  between  my  father  and  the  old 
gentleman  whom  I  called  my  uncle  Basil.  And  so 

128 


THE    "PETITE    BOURSE" 

Infelix  was  not  my  brother,  nor  even  my  cousin,  but 
a  real  fairy  prince ;  for  had  not  Uncle  Basil  been  king 
of  that  funny  little  country  which  in  the  geographies 
looks  exactly  like  a  sausage,  and  is  colored  pink  ? 
^Etolia  !  To  me  it  came  to  mean  everything  in  life, 
and  all  that  made  it  worth  living.  What  did  it  matter 
that  papa  had  nothing  better  to  smoke  than  his  horri 
ble  porcelain  pipe,  and  that  we  had  meat  only  on  the 
great  feast  days !  Some  day  the  Agricolas  should  come 
to  their  own  again,  with  the  black-and-orange  banners 
fluttering  in  the  sunshine,  and  all  the  bands  playing 
'Resurgam.'  And  I,  who  was  only  a  girl,  was  still 
the  daughter  of  the  Czareska,  who  had  kept  the 
king's  faith  for  a  thousand  years,  ^tolia  was  my  re 
ligion,  my  passion,  my  life! 

"We  had  been  betrothed  in  infancy,  you  know — 
Infelix  and  I.  It  had  been  his  father's  last  wish,  and 
we  Czareskas  withhold  nothing  from  the  kings  we 
love.  And  yet,  when,  a  year  ago,  Infelix  came  to  me 
and  begged  me  to  set  the — the  day,  I  refused.  In  my 
eyes  he  had  been  weak  and  unworthy  of  the  name  he 
bore.  It  was  good,  indeed,  that  we  were  no  longer 
poor,  but  the  hero  should  be  able  to  withstand  the 
sunshine  as  well  as  the  storm.  Infelix  had  been  satis 
fied  with  his  part  in  the  little  world  of  London  society, 
and  he  had  no  mind  for  indulging  in  heroics  over  what 
he  called  the  lost  cause. 

"  It  was  just  at  this  time  that  we  received  positive 
information  from  our  agents  in  JEtolia  that  the  hour 
had  come  to  strike.  And  yet,  without  the  co-opera 
tion  of  Infelix,  we  could  accomplish  nothing.  Our 
half-recognized  betrotLal  had  been  repudiated  by  me 
— in  my  shame  and  anger  I  had  declared  that  every 
thing  must  be  at  an  end  between  us.  And  now  he 
had  come  to  me  again. 

"  Well,  if  I  erred  in  promising  to  be  the  wife  of  a 
I  129 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

man  whom  I  did  not  love,  it  was  from  a  motive  as 
pure  as  that  which  led  Jeanne  d'Arc  to  the  stake. 
He  had  asked  me  to  name  the  wedding-day,  and  I 
did — it  should  be  the  same  upon  which  Prince  Infelix 
should  ride  through  the  Dragon  Gate  of  Kar,  with  an 
orange  cockade  in  his  bonnet.  And  he  accepted  my 
conditions  ;  from  that  time  onward  he  was  the  Prince 
again,  and  the  light  came  back  to  my  father's  eyes. 

"  You  remember  the  incidents  connected  with  the 
disappearance  of  the  '  Cardinal's  Rose.'  It  was  not 
difficult  for  me  to  believe  the  story  that  you  told,  for 
I  had  seen  enough  with  my  own  eyes  to  be  almost 
sure  of  what  had  happened.  It  was  just  as  I  turned 
that  I  saw  the  Chevalier's  hand  moving  stealthily  in 
the  direction  of  the  half-opened  despatch-box.  For 
an  instant  my  heart  seemed  to  stop  ;  then  it  awoke  to 
exulting  life.  Infelix  had  again  proved  himself  un 
worthy  ;  the  sacrifice  would  not  be  required  of  me, 
and  for  the  first  time  in  months  I  drew  a  long,  deep 
breath — I  was  free.  And  then  in  another  flash  came 
back  the  remembrance  of  the  cause  for  which  I  had 
been  willing  to  sacrifice  everything  ;  I  must  not  be 
too  sure  that  the  offering  had  been  rejected.  Even 
granting  that  Infelix  had  possessed  himself  surrep 
titiously  of  the  ruby,  it  must  still  be  remembered  that 
it  was  his  property,  and  that  he  was  of  an  age  to  claim 
his  own.  I  knew  that  he  had  been  fretting  at  the  de 
liberate  caution  of  my  father's  plans,  and  with  ,the 
impetuosity  of  youth  he  had  been  urging  the  neces 
sity  of  hurrying  things  along.  What  more  natural 
than  that  he  should  yield  to  the  temptation  of  taking 
the  starting-lever  into  his  own  hands?  In  the  pos 
session  of  the  'Cardinal's  Rose'  there  was  an  immense 
potentiality.  Turned  into  money,  it  might  do  every 
thing." 

"And  you  were  right,"  I  interrupted,  although  it 
130 


WITH    YOl'R    I'KKMISSION,    MADKMUISK1.1.K,    I    WILL    KKM\I\ 


THE    "PETITE    BOURSE" 

was  a  sense  of  justice  rather  than  of  generosity  that 
prompted  me  to  speak.  "  The  Chevalier  undoubted 
ly  appropriated  the  jewel,  but  in  doing  so  he  was  the 
victim  of  Coventry's  treachery;  he  made  a  mistake, 
but  he  did  not  commit  a  crime."  And  then  I  told  in 
detail  the  conversation  that  I  had  overheard  in  the 
"yellow  house,"  when  du  Midi  had  reproached  his 
pretended  allies  with  their  dilatory  tactics.  He  had 
placed  the  great  ruby  in  Coventry's  hands  that  funds 
might  be  raised  upon  it  wherewith  to  carry  on  the 
^Etolian  revolution.  Of  course  he  had  been  much  to 
blame  in  his  betrayal  of  General  Czareska's  confi 
dence,  and  in  his  distrust  of  his  oldest  and  best  friend; 
but  here  again  his  conduct  had  been  that  of  a  weak 
rather  than  of  a  bad  nature.  He  had  unquestionably 
acted  under  Coventry's  influence,  and  one  might  still 
pity  the  doer  while  he  condemned  the  deed. 

"  So  my  intuitions  were  right,"  she  said,  musingly, 
when  I  had  finished.  "You  can  understand  now  some 
thing  of  the  position  in  which  I  have  stood  during 
these  last  three  months.  It  was  absolutely  necessary 
that  my  father  should  have  no  suspicion  of  what  had 
really  happened.  He  could  not  have  understood  nor 
made  allowances,  and  the  discovery  of  what  he  must 
have  considered  the  Prince's  dishonor  would  have 
broken  his  heart.  And  with  my  father  would  have 
died  ^Etolia's  last  hope,  for  you  and  I  both  know  that 
Infelix  will  never  be  able  to  stand  alone. 

"Let  me  make  my  confession  full  and  complete,  Mr. 
Gary.  When  you  first  came  to  the  Rue  d'Alger,  it 
was  a  reasonable  supposition  that  you  knew  more 
about  the  disappearance  of  the  '  Cardinal's  Rose '  than 
you  were  willing  to  avow.  It  was  I,  then,  who  sug 
gested  to  my  father,  before  you  were  shown  up-stairs, 
that  you  must  be  detained  at  all  hazards.  And  again, 
when  I  offered  you  your  liberty  at  the  Russian  am- 

131 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

bassador's  ball,  it  was  but  to  try  you.  Had  you  ac 
cepted  the  offer,  you  might  have  driven  away  in  Mr. 
Benton's  carriage,  but  you  would  never  have  reached 
his  house.  My  agents  had  been  given  their  instruc 
tions,  and  I  would  have  sacrificed  you  with  as  little 
mercy  as  I  had  shown  to  myself — you  who  have  since 
proved  yourself  the  truest  and  bravest  of  us  all.  I 
recognized  this  when  I  would  have  prevented  your 
going  alone  to  the  '  yellow  house.'  I  was  willing  then 
that  you  should  be  free  to  withdraw  from  our  danger 
ous  company.  But  you  would  not  go  without  that 
fuller  explanation  which  at  the  moment  I  could  not 
give.  Now  you  know  all,  and  again  I  beg  of  you  to 
choose  the  part  of  wisdom  and  leave  Paris  to-night. 
You  have  already  done  us  inestimable  service,  and  I 
shall  always  be  grateful  for  the  privilege  of  having 
known  so  gallant  a  gentleman  and  true  a  friend  as 
Nicholas  Gary.  It  is  good-bye,  then.  You  know  that 
when  I  insist  upon  a  thing,  it  must  be  done,"  and  she 
held  out  her  hand  to  me  across  the  table.  But  I  would 
not  take  it — at  least,  not  yet. 

"  But,  mademoiselle,  suppose  that  I  still  refuse  to 
obey." 

Quick  as  her  eyes  fell,  I  had  caught  a  sudden  light 
in  them  that  made  my  heart  leap.  A  woman  knows 
well  that  her  eyes  will  traitorously  tell  the  very  truth 
that  her  lips  have  just  denied,  and  that  her  only 
safety  lies  in  an  instant  retreat  to  cover. 

"  You  forget,"  I  continued,  lightly,  "  that  I  am  still 
in  Baron  Kerker's  service,  and  so  good  a  master  is 
entitled  to  his  customary  warning.  And,  besides,  I 
have  been  given  a  role  to  play  in  your  little  melo 
drama,  and  it  is  not  fair  to  take  it  away  from  me 
until  I  have  had  the  chance  to  try  the  part.  And 
so,  with  your  permission,  mademoiselle,  I  will  re 
main." 

132 


THE    "PETITE    BOURSE" 

"  To  the  end  ?"  she  said,  very  softly,  for  now  we  had 
risen  and  were  standing  close  together. 

"To  the  end,"  I  answered, solemnly, and  she  listened 
as  though  it  had  been  a  prayer  that  had  fallen  from  , 
my  lips.     And  then  we  went  our  separate  ways. 

When,  twenty  minutes  latej,  I  presented  myself  at 
the  mansion  in  the  Champs-Elyse'es,  the  major-domo 
called  me  into  his  room  and  curtly  informed  me  that 
I  had  outgrown  my  usefulness  as  a  member  of  the 
Kerker  establishment.  No  explanations  were  offered, 
and  I  asked  for  none,  being  well  assured  that  I  should 
only  be  referred  to  Mr.  Giles  Coventry.  My  summary 
dismissal  would  make  no  difference  in  the  part  al 
ready  assigned  to  me  for  the  evening,  but  it  would 
be  well  to  report  the  circumstance  at  once  to  madem 
oiselle,  and,  after  gathering  together  my  few  belong 
ings,  I  hailed  a  fiacre  and  was  driven  back  to  the  hotel 
in  the  Rue  d'Alger.  As  we  turned  in  from  the  Rue 
de  Rivoli  we  had  a  narrow  escape  from  a  collision 
with  a  cab  going  rapidly  in  the  opposite  direction. 
The  occupant  of  the  cab  was  a  woman,  and  although 
she  was  sitting  far  back  in  one  corner,  I  caught  a 
glimpse  of  her  face  as  we  drew  past.  Unless  I  was 
mightily  mistaken  the  woman  was  Mrs.  Verriker. 


CHAPTER  XV 

A   PRISONER   OF   WAR 

|T  precisely  seven  o'clock  I  took  up  my 
assigned  position,  directly  across  the 
street  from  the  magnificent  residence 
in  the  Avenue  Hoche  belonging  to  a 
certain  M.  Montalivet.  All  through  the 
day  we  had  been  receiving  reports  from  our  agents, 
and  it  was  absolutely  certain  that  up  to  this  time  the 
Baron  had  held  no  communication  whatever  with 
Coventry.  We  knew  that  the  final  interview  and  the 
handing  over  of  the  money  were  to  take  place  before 
eleven  o'clock,  the  leaving  time  of  the  Oriental  Ex 
press,  but  just  where,  and  just  when,  the  failure  in  the 
phonographic  record  made  it  impossible  to  say. 

After  leaving  his  office  in  the  Rue  de  la  Banque, 
the  banker  had  driven  to  an  establishment  in  the 
Rue  de  la  Paix,  and  had  remained  for  half  an  hour 
in  close  consultation  with  one  of  the  heads  of  the 
firm.  An  hour's  drive  in  the  Bois  followed,  and  at 
half-past  six  he  had  returned  home.  Coventry  had 
been  seen  once  during  the  afternoon  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  Opera  House,  but  he  had  returned  almost  im 
mediately  to  his  lodgings,  and  had  apparently  busied 
himself  in  making  the  ordinary  preparations  for  his 
departure.  He  was  safe,  at  least  for  the  present. 

From  my  knowledge  of  the  Baron's  social  engage 
ments  we  were  aware  that  he  had  an  engagement  at 


A    PRISONER    OF    WAR 

eight  o'clock  to  dine  with  the  gentleman  before  whose 
house  I  had  taken  up  my  station.  Slowly  the  min 
utes  went  by  while  I  waited  for  my  man's  arrival. 
It  was  a  possibility  that  Coventry  might  be  among 
the  guests,  and  the  thought  fretted  me.  It  was  the 
one  contingency  that  might  seriously  affect  our  plan 
of  action. 

Two  or  three  minutes  before  eight  the  Kerker 
carriage  drove  up,  and,  lounging  carelessly  past  the 
gateway,  I  heard  the  loud  voice  of  the  Baron  order 
ing  the  footman  to  return  for  him  at  exactly  half 
after  nine  o'clock.  I  had  caught  a  glimpse  of  the  car 
riage,  as  it  rolled  into  the  court-yard,  and  the  Baron 
was  certainly  alone.  No  other  guests  appeared,  and  I 
concluded  that  the  dinner  was  probably  a  matter  of 
business  between  the  two  men,  M.  Montalivet  being 
also  in  the  financial  way.  And  finally  I  received  a 
report  by  messenger  from  mademoiselle  that  the 
Baron  had  received  no  visitors  at  his  house  between 
the  hour  of  his  arrival  from  the  Bois,  at  half -past 
six,  and  that  of  his  departure  for  the  Avenue  Hoche, 
at  a  quarter  of  eight.  So  far  so  good  ;  the  all-im 
portant  point  was  clearly  established  that  no  inter 
view  had  as  yet  taken  place.  For  the  present,  then, 
I  had  only  to  wait. 

At  first,  the  time  went  well  enough  for  me,  pacing 
up  and  down  in  the  shadow  of  the  horse-chestnuts,  and 
keeping  one  eye  always  upon  the  entrance  of  the  house 
across  the  street.  The  fever  of  the  adventure  was  in 
my  blood.  I  found  myself  calculating  the  chances  of 
our  desperate  hazard,  not  only  with  coolness,  but  with 
a  keen  sense  of  exhilaration.  The  deed  was  already 
as  good  as  done — we  should  succeed  simply  because 
we  could  not  afford  to  fail.  Yes  ;  we  should  win — we 
should  win  ;  and  my  hand  closed  tightly  about  the 
butt  of  the  revolver  that  I  carried  under  my  blouse. 

'35 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

It  seemed  so  unreal,  so  impossible,  that  I,  Nicholas 
Gary,  of  all  men,  had  been  given  these  master  cards 
to  play  in  a  game  where  the  map  of  Europe  might 
come  to  be  the  stake.  It  was  wholly  ridiculous  ;  I 
had  no  business  to  be  even  a  spectator  of  the  struggle, 
much  less  a  participant.  But  Fate  had  dealt  me  the 
hand,  and  at  that  moment  I  would  not  have  laid  it 
down  for  all  the  money  in  Baron  Kerker's  big  safe. 

And  then,  quite  as  unaccountably  as  my  spirits  had 
risen  did  they  suddenly  go  down  again.  It  had  begun 
to  rain,  and  the  smooth  surface  of  the  asphalt  showed 
up  black  and  glistening  under  the  gas-lamps.  But  I  did 
not  realize  that  I  was  thoroughly  wet  and  uncomfort 
able.  Indeed,  I  should  have  welcomed  the  feeling  as 
a  relief  to  the  intolerable  suspense  which  I  was  now 
enduring.  Our  plans  had  been  drawn  with  the  ut 
most  exactness,  but  what  if  something  did  go  wrong? 
A  very  little  thing  would  suffice  to  throw  the  gear 
wheels  out  of  line,  and,  with  the  mischief  once  done, 
the  consequences  would  be  so  disastrous  and  far- 
reaching  that  I  could  not  bear  to  contemplate  them. 

It  was  half  after  nine  now,  and,  indeed,  several 
minutes  over  the  time,  but  the  Baron's  carriage  had 
not  appeared,  nor  had  any  attempt  been  made  to  sum 
mon  it  from  the  house.  Had  Samson  and  Stephan 
failed,  or,  worse  yet,  had  the  warning  been  given  to 
the  birds  while  the  fowlers  were  even  now  spreading 
their  nets  ?  Was  there  a  side-door,  a  back  entrance, 
to  M.  Montalivet's  house  ?  Madame  Verriker  !  A 
thousand  and  one  conjectures  flashed  through  my 
mind.  And  now  what  ?  Should  I  abandon  my  post 
and  endeavor  to  communicate  with  my  superior  offi 
cers — or  was  it  already  too  late  ?  I  stood  irresolute, 
cursing  impartially  my  stupidity  and  my  bad  luck. 
Only  twenty  minutes  of  ten,  but  that  ten  minutes 
had  been  an  eternity. 

136 


"I    RAN    ACROSS    THE    STREET" 


A    PRISONER    OF    WAR 

The  horses  with  their  rubber  shoes,  and  the  carriage 
with  its  equally  noiseless  tires,  were  almost  upon  me 
as  I  ran  across  the  street,  but  I  managed  to  pick  up 
my  heels  in  time.  I  gave  a  hasty  glance  at  the  men 
on  the  box  as  the  carriage  turned  into  the  court-yard — 
they  Avere  Samson  and  Stephan.  So  that  part  of  the 
programme  had  gone  through  without  a  hitch.  The 
Baron's  own  men  were  undoubtedly  lying  stupidly 
drunk  in  the  back  room  of  some  cabaret  sacred  to 
coachmen,  and  happily  unconscious  that  their  livery 
was  now  being  worn  by  the  two  strangers  who  had 
entertained  them  so  often  and  so  handsomely  during 
the  last  hour  and  a  half.  Hardly  had  the  carriage 
entered  the  court-yard  when  the  great  house-door  was 
thrown  open  and  the  Baron  appeared  in  person  and 
called  to  the  coachman  to  make  haste. 

Evidently  the  Baron  had  just  realized  that  he  had 
overstayed  his  time,  and  he  was  in  a  hurry  to  make  it 
up.  Stephan  stood  at  the  door  of  the  carriage  to  re 
ceive  his  orders.  It  might  be  awkward  if  the  Baron 
chanced  to  scan  him  too  closely.  Fortunately  the 
rain  gave  our  man  the  excuse  to  wear  his  oilskin- 
covered  hat  low  down  over  his  eyes,  and  his  master  did 
not  even  glance  at  him.  "Home,"  he  ordered,  and 
the  carriage-door  slammed. 

As  the  coach  rolled  out  into  the  street  I  made  a  jump 
for  the  rear  springs.  There  was  no  place  upon  which 
I  could  find  a  seat,  but  no  matter;  by  holding  on  to  the 
straps  I  could  keep  up  the  pace,  and  the  first  course 
would  not  be  long.  Samson  had  his  instructions  to 
turn  into  the  first  side  street,  instead  of  keeping 
straight  down  the  avenue  to  the  Rond  Point,  and  the 
crisis  would  be  quick  enough  in  coming,  once  the 
Baron  discovered  that  he  was  being  taken  out  of  his 
road. 

Just  as  we  had  got  fairly  under  way  I  looked  back, 
137 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

and  saw  a  cab  being  driven  furiously  from  the  direc 
tion  of  the  Rue  de  Courcelles.  It  pulled  up  in  front 
of  the  Montalivet  house,  and  a  man  sprang  to  the 
sidewalk.  Under  the  glare  of  the  gas-lamp  I  made 
him  out  to  be  Coventry.  Had  he  grown  tired  of  wait 
ing,  and  determined  to  hunt  the  Baron  up  at  his  host's 
dinner-table?  No  matter;  he  had  not  seen  our  car 
riage  leaving  the  house,  and  we  should  be  well  away 
before  he  would  be  ready  to  take  up  the  chase  again. 
It  had  been  a  narrow  margin,  but  enough  for  us  to 
win  out. 

It  was  only  a  matter^ of  ten  minutes  drive  to  the 
house  in  the  Champs-Elysees,  and  I  wondered  how 
long  it  would  take  for  the  Baron  to  grow  impatient. 
By  this  time  Samson  had  so  skilfully  turned  our 
course  that  we  were  now  going  directly  away  from 
our  assumed  destination,  and  were  in  the  Rue  Darn ; 
there  was  the  Russian  church  on  our  right.  Per 
haps  I  should  not  have  used  the  pronoun  "we,"  for, 
assuredly,  I  was  being  dragged  along  rather  than  car 
ried,  and  I  was  getting  a  trifle  out  of  breath.  And  so 
it  was  almost  with  a  feeling  of  relief  that  I  heard  a 
snort  of  anger  and  surprise  proceeding  from  the  in 
terior  of  the  vehicle.  A  moment  later  the  check- 
string  was  violently  pulled,  and  the  coach  stopped. 
Stephan  jumped  to  the  ground  and  stepped  up  to  the 
window  on  the  near  side.  Now  for  my  part. 

I  was  at  the  other  door  the  instant  after  and  turned 
the  handle  quietly.  It  yielded,  and  I  slipped  into  the 
vacant  seat  by  the  Baron's  side.  That  gentleman  was 
leaning  out  of  the  opposite  window,  and  swearing  alter 
nately  in  French  and  German  at  the  impassive  Ste 
phan.  Then  suddenly  the  Baron  seemed  to  realize 
that  there  was  something  wrong;  perhaps  he  recog 
nized  that  the  footman  was  not  his  own  servant,  in 
spite  of  the  livery  that  he  wore.  With  surprising  quick- 

138 


A    PRISONER    OF    WAR 

ness  he  drew  in  his  head  and  threw  himself  bodily 
over  to  the  right.  Evidently  his  idea  had  been  to 
leave  the  carriage  by  the  other  door,  but  of  course  he 
plumped  straight  into  me,  and  then  collapsed  with  an 
absurdly  rabbit-like  squeak  as  the  end  of  the  pistol- 
barrel  came  into  sharp  contact  with  his  ribs. 

"  I  am  sorry  to  discommode  you,  monsieur,"  I  said, 
speaking  close  at  his  ear ;  "  but  I  need  not  waste 
words  upon  a  sensible  man  like  yourself.  Do  not  at 
tempt  to  stir  or  to  open  your  mouth,  my  dear  Baron. 
All  right,  Stephan." 

Well,  the  old  fellow  took  it  all  with  astonishing 
coolness  and  with  instant  acquiescence  in  the  unan 
swerable  logic  of  the  situation.  For  all  that,  I  kept 
the  pistol-muzzle  in  suggestive  touch  with  his  side, 
for  we  were  now  passing  through  the  well -lighted 
thoroughfare  of  the  Boulevard  de  Courcelles,  and  I 
had  no  intention  of  losing  my  prize  before  we  reach 
ed  port.  Once  we  were  obliged  to  come  to  a  stop  to 
avoid  an  automobile,  and  a  gendarme  strolled  up 
to  the  very  door  of  our  coach.  He  touched  his  hat 
civilly,  recognizing  the  eminent  financier,  and  re 
marked  that  it  was  a  wet  night.  The  Baron  politely 
agreed,  and  we  drove  on. 

The  rendezvous  that  had  been  given  me  was  a 
house  in  a  quiet  street  running  off  from  the  Place 
de  Clichy,  and  we  found  the  General  awaiting  us  as 
the  carriage  rolled  into  the  enclosure.  The  General 
helped  the  Baron  to  descend  with  serious  affability, 
and  murmured  an  apology  for  the  extraordinary  cir 
cumstances  that  were  responsible  for  their  meeting. 
The  Baron  bowed  an  acknowledgment  and  waited 
silently. 

"It  will  be  necessary,  my  dear  Baron,  that  you  favor 
me  with  your  company  for  a  few  days,"  explained  the 
General,  with  some  embarrassment.  "As  we  shall 

J.39 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

start  upon  our  little  journey  very  shortly,  you  may 
like  to  make  a  few  changes  in  your  toilet.  If  you  will 
be  good  enough  to  follow  my  valet,  he  will  see  that 
you  are  fitted  out  with  everything  that  you  may 
desire." 

"  It  is  the  General  Count  Czareska  that  I  have  the 
honor  of  addressing  ?"  began  the  Baron,  tentatively. 
"  I  think  I  know  your  face." 

"At  your  service." 

"Hem!  that  is  quite  enough,  and  I  am  entirely  at 
your  disposal,  my  dear  General.  For  the  moment  I 
was  under  the  uncomfortable  impression  that  I  had 
made  the  acquaintance  of  professional  tax-gatherers, 
and  was  about  to  swallow  my  shirt-studs.  But  you, 
General  —  oh,  that  is  different,  and  we  amateurs 
should  respect  each  other's  little  whims.  I  collect 
clocks,  and  you  apparently  make  a  specialty  of  bank 
ers.  Eh,  bien  !  You  have  made  an  excellent  start,  and 
I  am  honored  in  being  No.  i  in  your  catalogue.  You 
said  this  way?  At  your  service,  then,  General;"  and 
with  another  profound  bow  our  amiable  prisoner  of 
war  followed  Vital. 

The  General  grasped  my  hand  warmly  and  drew 
me  after  him  into  one  of  the  ground-floor  rooms.  He 
was  unmistakably  worried  and  upset  about  some 
thing. 

"  Well,  what  is  it  ?"  I  asked,  as  I  looked  about  me. 
The  table  was  strewn  with  railway  maps  and  time- 
cards,  and  the  General  pointed  at  them  tragically  as 
he  answered : 

"Another  dead  wall.  There  has  been  an  accident 
on  the  railway,  ten  miles  beyond  St. -Germain,  and  the 
line  is  blocked.  Moreover,  there  is  a  second  break — 
a  land-slide,  I  believe,  near  Louvre.  Not  a  train  is 
likely  to  get  through  before  morning." 

Unpleasant  news,  indeed  !  The  first  section  of  our 
140 


T  TO  STIR"' 


A    PRISONER    OF   WAR 

party,  consisting  of  mademoiselle,  du  Midi,  Mrs.  Ver- 
riker,  and  the  two  maids,  had  taken  the  seven  o'clock 
express,  and,  since  they  had  gone  through  before  the 
accident,  they  must  be  now  nearing  Havre.  If  we 
were  compelled  to  wait  for  the  clearing  of  the  line  we 
might  as  well  throw  up  our  hands  at  once.  By  morn 
ing  Coventry  would  be  pretty  certain  of  what  had 
happened,  and  the  abduction  of  the  Baron  would  un 
doubtedly  make  a  tremendous  uproar.  Once  the  af 
fair  became  known  no  disguise  could  insure  us  a  safe 
departure  from  Paris,  and  we  could  not  remain  in 
hiding  until  the  hue  and  cry  had  gone  past.  The 
house  we  were  in  belonged  to  a  friend  of  the  General, 
and  had  only  been  placed  at  our  disposal  for  this 
particular  night.  The  owner  would  return  in  the 
morning,  and  we  could  not  think  of  involving  him  in 
serious  trouble  through  our  continued  presence.  It 
did  look  like  a  checkmate. 

"You  have  seen  the  railway  people?"  I  asked. 

"  They  can  do  nothing,  for  there  is  no  possible  way 
of  getting  around  the  first  wreck.  Both  lines  are 
blocked,  and  will  be  for  hours  to  come." 

I  walked  over  to  the  table  and  bent  over  the  railway 
map  that  the  General  had  been  studying. 

"  It  seems  that  Rouen  is  a  division  point,"  I  said, 
quick,  with  a  new  thought.  "  We  might  get  a  special 
there  which  would  take  us  through  in  time." 

"  Yes,  but  how  are  we  to  reach  Rouen,  which  is 
sixty-seven  miles  from  Paris  ?  It  is  now  half  after  ten, 
and  even  over  the  best  of  country  roads,  and  with  two 
or  three  changes,  we  cannot  hope  to  do  better  than 
ten  miles  an  hour.  It  will  be  eleven  o'clock  before  we 
can  get  started,  and,  granting  that  we  do  make  our 
best  speed,  it  will  still  be  after  six  before  we  can  reach 
Rouen,  and  from  there  it  is  two  hours  and  a  half  by 
rail  to  Havre.  Remember  that  the  fact  of  the  Baron's 

141 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

abduction  should  be  suspected,  and  indeed  established, 
by  eight  o'clock  at  the  latest,  for  Coventry  will  not  be 
idle,  and  the  telegraph  will  be  set  working  in  all  di 
rections.  It  is  impossible  ;  we  cannot  get  away." 

"  One  moment.  General.  We  are  not  dependent 
upon  horses  nowadays." 

"  An  automobile  ?" 

"  Precisely.  The  two-seated  posting-carriage  be 
longing  to  the  Chevalier  is  stabled  not  far  away,  and 
Stephan  can  have  it  here  within  twenty  minutes. 
It  should  be  good  for  an  average  of  eighteen  or 
twenty  miles  an  hour.  Four  hours  to  Rouen  brings 
us  to  three  o'clock.  Half  an  hour's  delay,  while  the 
special  is  making  ready,  and  then  two  hours  and  a  half 
into  Havre,  or  say  six  o'clock.  If  we  can  do  that  we 
should  have  a  safe  margin  over  the  telegraph." 

And  truly  the  idea  seemed  feasible  as  we  hurriedly 
thrashed  it  out.  The  automobile  would  carry  the  four 
of  us,  and  over  the  moon-lit  roads  (for  the  rain  had 
now  ceased)  we  could  keep  it  running  for  hours  on 
end  at  top-speed.  Stephan  understood  the  manage 
ment  of  the  machine,  and  I  myself  could  take  the 
lever  if  necessary. 

It  was  decided,  and  while  we  were  waiting  for  Ste- 
phan's  return  I  improved  the  opportunity  to  cut  into 
a  joint  of  meat  that  stood  upon  the  sideboard.  I  was 
surprised  that  cold  lamb  could  taste  so  delicious, 
until  I  remembered  that  I  had  not  eaten  a  morsel 
since  my  early  breakfast  at  nine  o'clock.  Lamb,  in 
deed  !  Why,  it  was  the  courage  of  a  lion  that  came 
back  to  me  as  I  stood  and  feasted. 

The  Baron  entered  the  room  dressed  in  a  suit  of 
gray  tweeds  and  looking  for  all  the  world  like  some 
respectable  British  ironmonger  on  a  holiday.  One 
could  almost  see  the  Cook's  coupons  bulging  out  his 
breast-pocket.  Serenely  indifferent  and  impertur- 

142 


A    PRISONER    OF    WAR 

bably  good -humored  was  the  Baron,  and  he  even 
condescended  to  help  himself  from  my  cigar-case. 
Truly  a  marvellously  amiable  man,  considering  the 
circumstances. 

The  automobile  was  standing  in  the  court -yard, 
its  big  parabolic  reflector  peering  into  the  darkness 
ahead  like  the  veritable  eye  of  Cyclops.  The  General 
intimated  to  the  Baron  that  he  should  take  his  place 
on  the  back  seat. 

"Just  one  moment,  my  dear  General.  I  have  here 
a  note  addressed,  as  you  see,  to  M.  Bert,  my  confi 
dential  agent.  As  a  matter  of  courtesy,  I  should  like 
to  have  it  delivered  to  him  by  seven  o'clock.  Of 
course,  you  are  at  liberty  to  acquaint  yourself  with 
the  contents  of  the  letter." 

The  General  took  the  missive  and  read  it  through 
attentively.  Then  he  sealed  it  up  and  handed  it  to 
Samson,  who  was  to  remain  in  Paris. 

"  I  am  happy  to  oblige  you,  Baron,  and  I  make  you 
my  compliments.  You  are,  indeed,  a  king  among 
financiers.  The  letter  shall  be  delivered  as  you 
direct." 

A  curious  episode  this,  but  it  was  none  of  my  busi 
ness  to  comment  upon  it,  the  General  being  surely 
responsible  for  his  own  actions.  At  the  word  we 
mounted  to  our  places,  and  the  automobile,  with 
Stephan  at  the  levers,  ran  smoothly  out  upon  the 
asphalt.  Fifteen  minutes  later  and  we  had  passed 
the  fortifications. 


CHAPTER  XVI 

TOUCH     AND     GO 

»HE  city  streets,  with  their  asphalt  and 
gas-lamps,  were  but  a  memory  now,  and 
the  automobile  was  running  under  the 
open  sky  and  between  sweet  -  smelling 
country  hedges.  The  night  was  delight 
fully  cool,  and  there  had  been  just  enough  rain  to  lay 
the  dust  and  put  the  crushed-stone  highway  into  the 
best  possible  condition.  The  moonlight  poured  down 
in  a  glorious  flood,  and  our  spirits  rose  as  the  heavy 
machine  swept  around  curve  after  curve,  keeping  her 
feet  as  steadily  as  though  she  had  been  a  ballet- 
dancer,  and  taking  the  easier  down-grades  with  the 
speed-lever  in  the  last  notch.  It  was  superb  sport. 

The  Baron  smoked  incessantly,  and  made  himself 
excessively  entertaining.  Never  have  I  listened  to 
a  better  raconteur,  and  it  was  impossible  not  to  ad 
mire  a  man  who  could  take  his  misfortunes  so  nobly. 
Half  after  one,  and  we  were  still  twenty  -  five 
miles  from  Rouen.  But  the  automobile  had  kept  the 
schedule  to  the  minute,  and  if  nothing  unforeseen 
happened,  we  should  arrive  at  three  o'clock  and  on 
time.  We  had  telegraphed  on  for  a  special,  and  it 
should  be  waiting  for  us  at  the  station,  with  steam  up. 

The  unforeseen  has  happened.     Perhaps  it  is  only 
a  trifling  disarrangement  of  the  machinery,  but  Ste- 

144 


TOUCH    AND    GO 

phan  has  been  working,  wrench  in  hand,  for  full  ten 
minutes  without  being  able  to  diagnose  the  trouble. 
We  have  all  alighted,  and  the  General  is  holding  the 
lantern,  while  I  am  standing  within  easy  reach  of  the 
Baron's  coat-collar. 

Stephan  has  crawled  out  from  under  the  wagon, 
and  as  much  as  intimated  that  he  is  at  a  loss.  Plain 
ly  he  is  not  much  of  a  mechanic,  and  the  longer  he 
tinkers  with  that  obstinate  valve,  the  longer  we  are 
likely  to  stay  here.  And  Rouen  is  still  twenty-five 
miles  away. 

"  Perhaps  I  may  be  able  to  remedy  the  difficulty," 
spoke  up  the  Baron. 

We  looked  at  him  doubtfully.  It  seems  hardly  the 
thing  for  our  prisoner  to  be  digging  his  own  grave, 
even  upon  his  own  motion. 

"  I  have  my  diploma  from  the  Automobile  Soci 
ety,"  continues  our  obliging  friend,  "  and  I  am  proud 
to  say  that  it  contains  the  mechanical  qualification. 
If  you  will  permit  me,  then — 

Well,  we  can't  be  worse  off  for  anything  that  the 
Baron  may  do  or  undo,  and  we  accept  the  offer.  The 
great  financier  immediately  takes  off  his  coat  and 
casts  himself  headlong  under  the  automobile,  wrig 
gling  painfully  along  on  his  stomach  to  the  point  of 
operation. 

"All  right,"  he  announces  at  the  end  of  five  min 
utes'  hammering,  and  we  drag  him  forth  covered 
with  dust  and  grease,  but  profoundly  triumphant. 
He  assumes  his  place  as  driver  by  a  natural  right, 
and  in  a  minute  or  so  we  are  again  at  top -speed. 
What  complaisance  !  What  cleverness  !  He  is  truly 
a  wonderful  man,  this  juggler  of  the  Bourse  and  prac 
tical  automobilist. 

The  special,  an  engine  with  a  single  coach,  is  in 
waiting  when  we  finally  arrive  at  the  railway  station 
K  145 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

in  Rouen.  The  line  is  clear,  and  we  should  have  a 
fast  run  into  Havre.  And  all  does  go  well.  At  a 
quarter  after  six  o'clock  we  have  left  the  train,  and 
are  on  our  way  to  the  landing  stage,  where  we  expect 
to  find  the  rest  of  the  party  in  waiting.  Out  in  the 
roadstead  we  catch  a  glimpse  of  the  General's  yacht, 
the  Sea  Fox.  She  is  riding  at  a  short  chain,  and 
smoke  is  pouring  from  her  rakish  yellow  stack.  Ex 
cellent  ! 

The  whaleboat,  manned  by  four  stout  fellows  from 
the  crew  of  the  yacht,  was  lying  at  the  steps  of  the 
Quai  Conde.  In  the  sternsheets  sat  mademoiselle 
alone.  Evidently  the  rest  of  the  party  had  already 
gone  aboard  the  Sea  Fox.  Her  face  looked  white  and 
strained,  but  it  brightened  up  as  she  recognized  us. 
She  kept  beckoning  impatiently  to  us  to  come  on, 
but  it  would  not  do  to  attract  attention  by  being  in 
too  evident  a  .hurry.  There  were  a  couple  of  gen 
darmes  now  strolling  leisurely  towards  us. 

We  passed  them  with  a  polite  reference  to  the 
beauty  of  the  morning,  and  they  looked  at  us  with 
some  curiosity  and  more  compassion.  But  of  course  we 
were  English  and  not  accountable  for  our  actions.  Who 
but  a  mad  Englishman  would  think  of  going  out  for 
a  row  around  the  harbor  at  seven  o'clock  in  the  morn 
ing?  It  must  be  a  disease,  this  incredible  fondness 
for  water. 

The  passage  down  the  quay  seemed  to  be  a  mile 
long,  but  we  dared  not  quicken  our  steps  just  yet.  I 
kept  my  eyes  fixed  upon  mademoiselle's  face,  and  I 
saw  the  signal  the  instant  that  she  gave  it.  I  looked 
back.  A  messenger  had  just  arrived  upon  a  bicycle, 
he  had  spoken  a  word  to  the  two  officers,  and  they 
were  coming  down  the  quay  on  the  run.  And  behind 
them  were  half  a  dozen  more  policemen  just  turning 
the  corner. 

146 


TOUCH    AND    GO 

"Double  quick  there!"  I  seized  the  Baron  by  one 
arm  and  Stephan  had  hold  of  the  other.  But,  really, 
it  was  the  Baron  who  dragged  us  along;  it  was  sur 
prising  how  he  ran,  for  a  man  of  his  build.  He  lit 
erally  tumbled  into  the  boat  as  we  gained  the  land 
ing-stage,  and  fell  under  the  thwarts  with  a  mighty 
crash.  An  instant's  pause  to  give  the  General  a  hand, 
and  we  were  all  over  the  gunwale. 

"  Take  the  tiller,  Gary,"  bawled  the  General,  and 
I  scrambled  aft  and  snatched  the  yoke-lines  from 
mademoiselle's  hands.  "  Shove  off,"  I  shouted  back. 

"  In  the  name  of  the  law !"  came  from  the  officer  of 
gendarmes  at  the  head  of  the  steps.  He  had  his  drawn 
sword  in  his  hand,  and  his  men  prepared  to  level  their 
pieces.  Our  position  was  a  critical  one,  but  I  had  been 
hastily  running  over  the  chances  in  my  mind,  and  I 
did  not  believe  that  the  officer  would  order  his  men 
to  fire.  We  might,  indeed,  be  criminals  in  the  eyes  of 
the  law,  but  our  affair  was  not  of  the  ordinary  sort,  and 
it  might  result  in  awkward  complications  should  bul 
lets  be  allowed  to  take  precedence  of  discretion. 
Already  the  boat  was  in  the  tideway  and  we  were 
drifting  broadside  to  the  pier.  "  Give  way  !"  I  said, 
smartly,  and  the  oars  dipped  and  strained  against  the 
strong  current.  Now  we  had  come  about,  and  were 
running  for  the  Sea  Fox  as  fast  as  four  strapping 
oarsmen  and  a  strong  ebb  tide  could  carry  us.  One 
of  the  gendarmes,  in  his  excitement,  actually  fired  at 
us,  but  his  officer  struck  up  the  carbine  with  his  sword, 
and  the  shot  went  wild.  So  far,  at  least,  it  was  the 
bold  game  that  had  won  the  tricks. 

It  was  a  good  two  miles  to  where  the  Sea  Fox  lay, 
and  after  our  course  had  been  laid  directly  for  the 
yacht  the  tide  could  no  longer  help  us.  We  were  also 
pretty  deep  in  the  water,  and,  in  consequence,  our  prog 
ress  was  comparatively  slow.  But  there  were  no 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

signs  of  pursuit  from  the  shore,  and  in  half  an  hour 
at  the  furthest  we  should  be  alongside  the  yacht. 

Mademoiselle  touched  my  arm.  "  Gloriously  done, 
Mr.  Gary,  but,  really,  apoplexy  is  likely  to  carry  the 
prize  away  from  us  all.  Do  look  at  the  poor  Baron." 

And  indeed  the  predicament  of  the  great  financier 
was  a  pitiable  one.  He  was  roaring  like  a  steamer's 
escape-pipe  that  is  blowing  off  half  under  water,  and 
so  tightly  was  he  wedged  under  the  thwart  that 
Stephan  had  to  pry  up  the  seat  with  a  boat-hook  be 
fore  he  could  be  released.  Never  did  an  uncrowned 
king  of  finance  present  so  unroyal  an  aspect,  his  face 
blotched  with  mud  and  scarlet,  and  his  clothing  torn 
and  wet  from  the  bilge  water  washing  up  through 
the  grating.  His  head  wabbled  limply  as  Stephan 
propped  him  up  against  the  General,  and  for  an  in 
stant,  and  until  he  had  gotten  his  lungs  full  of  air 
again,  I  expected  to  see  him  topple  over.  But  in  the 
next  instant  he  had  pulled  himself  together,  and,  pro 
ducing  his  case,  he  selected  and  lit  his  seventeenth 
successive  cigar.  All  this  without  a  word — a  remark- 
able  piece  of  self-repression  and  plainly  indicative  of 
the  man's  character.  If  ever  his  chance  did  come  to 
speak,  we,  who  had  subjected  him  to  such  indignity, 
might  expect  a  bad  quarter  of  an  hour.  I  hinted  as 
much  to  mademoiselle. 

"  He  may  have  his  chance  even  sooner  than  you 
think,"  she  returned.  "  Look  over  there." 

A  needle-like  steam-launch  was  driving  along  in  our 
wake  and  not  much  more  than  a  mile  astern.  The 
spray  was  flying  over  her  stack,  and  she  was  being 
pounded  for  everything  that  was  in  her.  In  five 
minutes  or  less  she  would  be  alongside,  and  then  in 
truth  the  Baron  would  get  his  innings.  Our  men  set 
their  feet  hard  against  the  stretchers  and  the  water 
fairly  boiled  off  the  oar-blades.  But  what  can  human 

148 


TOUCH    AND    GO 

muscle  accomplish  when  pitted  against  a  Thorney- 
croft  boiler  ?  Nearer  and  nearer  came  the  launch,  and 
we  could  see  the  dull  flash  of  her  bronze  bottom- 
sheathing  as  her  sharp  bow  would  overshoot  a  wave 
and  hang  poised  for  an  instant  on  its  upward  slope. 
Then  down  again,  as  though  she  had  determined  to 
bore  a  tunnel  to  the  bottom  of  the  bay ;  a  smother  of 
flying  spray,  and  once  more  the  yellow  gleam  of  her 
cut-water,  and  always  a  furlong  nearer.  A  beauti 
ful  sight,  indeed,  had  we  been  in  the  mood  to  appre 
ciate  it. 

There  was  nothing  that  we  could  see,  beyond  that 
one  umbrella-like  puff  of  mingled  smoke  and  steam, 
but  some  accident  must  have  happened;  the  steam- 
launch  was  tossing  helplessly  about  like  a  gull  with  a 
broken  wing,  and  the  race  was  over  so  far  as  she  was 
concerned.  But  already  three  men  in  a  gig  had  put 
off  from  the  disabled  launch  and  were  bending  strenu 
ously  to  their  oars.  The  gig  was  not  heading  in  our 
direction,  but  was  apparently  making  for  a  vessel  that 
was  swinging  at  an  anchorage  off  the  starboard  bow 
of  the  Sea  Fox  and  perhaps  three  cable-lengths  away. 
A  trim-looking  boat  this,  and  with  the  look  of  speed 
about  her  clean-run  and  beautifully  moulded  counter. 

"  The  Diane"  said  the  General,  who  had  been  study 
ing  her  through  his  glasses.  "The  fastest  torpedo- 
boat  destroyer  in  the  French  navy,  but  the  Sea  Fox, 
with  her  turbine  motors,  can  still  spare  her  a  couple 
of  knots  in  every  mile." 

"  But — but — "  I  stammered.  "  Do  you  really  think — 
is  there  any  possibility — " 

"  We  know  that  Mr.  Coventry  is  an  intimate  friend 
of  the  Minister  of  Marine,"  said  mademoiselle,  "and 
France  is  always  willing  to  oblige  Soulia  when  no  in 
convenient  publicity  is  involved." 

"  And  undoubtedly  the  word  was  passed  to  Coven- 
149 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

try,"  I  continued,  excitedly.  "  He  did  not  get  the  in 
formation  in  time  to  forestall  our  movements  in  Paris, 
butheknowsnow  exactly  what  has  happened.  Techni 
cally  we  are  guilty  of  a  serious  offence  against  French 
law  in  the  abduction  of  Baron  Kerker's  person ;  by 
our  resistance  to  arrest  we  became  in  fact  enemies  of 
France.  Unless  we  can  get  outside  the  three-mile 
limit — " 

"  Not  even  then,"  interrupted  the  General,  grimly, 
"  for,  unfortunately,  the  Sea  Fox  has  a  French  registry. 
We  must  first  have  the  luck  to  get  away  at  all  and 
then  the  faster  heels  to  keep  clear." 

In  a  few  seconds  now  we  would  be  up  with  the 
yacht.  I  turned  to  mademoiselle. 

"  How  does  it  happen,"  I  asked,  "  that  you  were 
left  alone  at  the  post  of  danger  ?  It  is  not  like  the 
Chevalier ;  I  will  say  that  much  for  him." 

She  flushed  hotly.  "  It  was  necessary  that  the 
captain  should  be  notified  of  our  arrival,  and  the  trip 
last  night  in  the  dark  could  not  have  been  a  pleasant 
one.  I  found  it  more  comfortable  to  wait  until  the 
yacht's  own  boat  could  be  sent  back." 

I  bit  my  lip  in  silence.  Of  course  du  Midi  had  done 
the  only  proper  thing  under  the  circumstances,  and  my 
ungenerous  slur  had  been  properly  resented.  I  had 
forgotten  that  mademoiselle  was  true  to  her  friends. 

We  were  quickly  over  the  side  and  the  whaleboatwas 
cast  adrift.  There  was  no  time  to  hoist  it  aboard,  and 
we  should  have  to  trip  our  anchor  as  well.  As  the 
General  and  I  mounted  to  the  bridge  I  glanced  again 
at  the  gig.  Already  the  men  in  her  were  hailing  the 
Diane,  and  it  would  not  be  long  now  before  their 
message  was  delivered. 

We  found  Crioche,  the  sailing-master,  on  the  bridge, 
and  a  few  hurried  words  made  him  acquainted  with 
the  situation.  He  jumped  below  to  see  in  person  that 

150 


TOUCH    AND    GO 

the  necessary  orders  were  promptly  executed,  and  the 
General  took  his  place  at  the  telegraph.  I  ran  into 
the  pilot-house  and  laid  hold  of  the  wheel.  Madem 
oiselle  and  the  women  had  disappeared  into  the  cabin, 
and  Stephan  had  been  instructed  to  keep  the  Baron 
in  the  deck-house  and  well  out  of  sight. 

The  deck  of  the  Diane  was  almost  deserted.  A 
couple  of  sailors  were  at  work  sail-making  on  the  fore 
castle,  and  the  officer  of  the  deck  was  the  only 
other  figure  in  sight.  It  was  washing-day,  and  the 
standing  rigging  was  gay  with  red  shirts  and  white 
"  ducks."  Nothing  to  alarm  us  in  so  peaceful  a  specta 
cle  ;  after  all,  we  may  have  been  disturbing  ourselves 
without  due  cause,  and  Coventry's-  arm  was  not  so 
long  as  we  had  feared.  At  last  the  word  came  that 
all  was  ready.  The  General  gave  the  signal  to  go 
ahead  slowly,  and  a  quartermaster  bounded  up  the 
ladder  and  took  charge  of  the  wheel.  I  could  hear 
the  steam  rushing  through  the  escape-pipes,  the  screw 
began  to  throb,  and  the  Sea  Fox  moved  slowly  down 
upon  the  war  vessel.  We  were  off. 

The  notes  of  the  boatswain's  pipe  rang  out  with 
piercing  swiftness,  and  the  deck  of  theDtanc,  but  just 
now  deserted,  was  alive  with  men  running  to  their 
stations.  The  covering  of  one  of  the  six-pound  quick- 
fire  guns  had  been  stripped  off,  and  its  long  black 
tube  was  being  trained  point-blank  on  the  Sea  Fox. 
The  lieutenant  was  standing  on  the  rail  with  his 
trumpet  at  his  lips.  I  could  not  understand  just 
what  he  was  trying  to  say,  but  his  meaning  was  un 
mistakable.  We  could  either  stop  or  take  the  conse 
quences. 

By  this  time  the  Sea  Fox  was  broadside  on  to  the 
destroyer,  and  not  more  than  a  cable-length  away. 
I  could  see  by  the  way  the  gun  was  trained  that 
the  solid  shell  would  be  plumped  straight  into  our 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

boilers.  It  was  madness  to  resist,  and,  with  a  bitter 
curse,  the  General  gave  the  order  to  stop  the  engine. 

"  I  will  send  a  boat  aboard  of  you,"  shouted  the 
lieutenant,  and  I  turned  on  my  heel  and  lighted  a 
cigarette.  One  must  endeavor  to  be  philosophical, 
though  it  is  not  pleasant  to  be  cut  down  a  foot  from 
the  wire. 

There  was  a  tremendous  hubbub  on  the  deck  below 
me,  and  I  leaned  over  the  rail  to  see  what  was  the 
matter.  The  Baron  had  broken  out  of  the  deck 
house,  and  was  dancing  about  in  what  seemed  to  be 
a  perfect  frenzy  of  rage.  Stephan  was  doing  his  best 
to  get  him  back  under  cover,  but  he  might  as  well 
have  tried  to  reason  with  a  cyclone. 

"  Ah,  you  will,  eh  ?"  snorted  the  Baron,  as  he 
squared  himself  for  a  decisive  effort.  "  Take  that, 
and  that  !" 

The  Baron's  big  fist  fell  twice  with  ponderous  em 
phasis,  and  the  unlucky  Stephan  rolled  into  the  scup 
pers.  The  lieutenant  looked  on  with  staring  eyes. 
Was  it  murder  that  was  being  done  ? 

"Yes,  it  is  I,  the  Baron  Kerker,"  yelled  that  gen 
tleman,  rushing  to  the  side.  "To  the  rescue,  my 
lieutenant !  Save  me  from  these  brigands,  these 
assassins  !  I  tell  you  it  is  I,  the  Baron  Kerker !" 

Well,  the  Baron  was  undoubtedly  within  his  rights, 
but  he  need  not  have  made  such  a  horrible  noise. 
Rescue  was  at  hand,  and  there  was  no  necessity  for 
deafening  us  all.  I  felt  annoyed. 

"Will  you  go  ahead?"  came  in  quite  another  voice 
from  this  extraordinary  lunatic.  "  I  can't  keep  up 
this  sort  of  thing  indefinitely.  Start  your  engines  ;" 
and  then  again,  at  the  very  top  of  his  leather-like 
lungs:  "  Succor,  my  friends  !  It  is  I,  Kerker !  To  the 
rescue !" 

Hardly  conscious  of  what  I  was  doing,  I  moved  the 
152 


TOUCH    AND    GO 

telegraph  to  full  speed  ahead,  and  instantly  the  en 
gineer  responded.  The  lieutenant  was  quite  purple  in 
the  face  from  his  vain  attempts  to  make  the  Baron 
comprehend  that  he  was  standing  directly  in  the 
range  of  the  gun.  If  he  would  only  be  good  enough 
to  go  either  aft  or  forward ;  but  apparently  the 
Baron  could  not  get  this  into  his  head.  Just  so  fast 
as  the  gun  was  shifted,  he  would  change  his  position 
to  correspond,  and  it  was  impossible  to  fire  without 
imminent  risk  of  blowing  the  great  financier  into  a 
thousand  pieces.  And  all  the  while  he  continued  to 
bawl  forth  his  appeals  for  rescue,  until  I  wanted  to 
put  my  fingers  in  my  ears. 

From  the  position  in  which  the  Diane  lay  it  was 
impossible  to  bring  another  gun  to  bear,  and  unless 
the  Baron  concluded  to  listen  to  reason,  we  should 
soon  be  too  far  away  to  risk  a  shot  without  danger 
of  killing  somebody,  and  it  was  evident  that  the 
lieutenant  had  his  orders  about  the  personal  safety 
of  our  important  prisoner. 

Dashing  his  trumpet  to  the  deck,  the  lieutenant  ran 
to  the  gun-station  and  attempted  to  sight  the  piece 
himself.  But  again  the  Baron  was  in  point-blank 
range — a  maniac  with  whom  it  was  impossible  to  rea 
son. 

For  a  moment  my  heart  came  to  my  throat,  as  the 
lieutenant  snatched  up  the  firing-line.  But  in  the 
next  he  had  dropped  it,  and  with  the  one  exclamation 
of  "imbecile  !"  fairly  bellowed  at  our  good  friend,  he 
swung  around  on  his  heel  and  marched  aft.  The 
gun  was  swung  inboard,  and  the  sailors,  crowding  to 
the  rail,  looked  after  us  with  wondering  eyes  as  the 
two  vessels  drew  rapidly  apart. 

Down  on  the  deck  I  found  the  Baron  reposing  on 
a  pile  of  cushions,  while  the  faithful  Stephan  stood  at 
attention  with  a  siphon  of  soda  in  his  hand. 

J53 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

"  Thanks  to  you,  Baron,  the  Sea  Fox  has  saved  her 
brush,"  I  said,  gravely.  "  Deliver  me  from  my  friends," 
he  retorted,  and  I  fancied  that  a  momentary  twinkle 
lit  up  those  hard  gray  eyes.  But  already  the  Sea  Fox 
was  lifting  to  the  first  long  swells  of  the  Atlantic,  and 
the  Diane  was  but  a  black  cork  bobbing  up  and  down 
in  our  wake. 


CHAPTER  XVII 
THE  ENEMY'S  HAND 

3HJHE  Sea  Fox,  after  a  fast  run  through  the 
big  rollers  of  the  bay  of  Biscay,  is  lying  off 
the  Spanish  coast,  not  far  from  Ferrol. 
The  electric  launch  is  hanging  at  the 
davits,  and  the  landing  will  be  made 
shortly  before  sunset.  I  have  just  left  the  cabin  after 
a  long  consultation  with  the  General,  and  this,  in  a 
word,  is  the  situation: 

General  Czareska  and  the  young  Prince  are  to  go 
ashore  this  evening,  and  will  proceed  to  join  the  JEto- 
lian  forces,  which  are  now  being  massed  in  the  vicin 
ity  of  Kar,  the  capital.  The  whole  success  of  the  in 
surgent  movement  depends  upon  our  getting  in  a 
knock-down  blow  at  the  usurper  Jehan  before  the 
Powers  see  fit  to  interfere.  The  Soulian  forces  now 
in  Kar  outnumber  the  yEtolians  actually  in  arms 
under  General  Ghika,  but  with  the  Prince  raising  the 
standard  of  revolt  in  person,  there  should  be  large 
accessions  from  the  country-side;  the  patriots  are  only 
waiting  for  a  leader  whom  they  can  trust. 

Now  the  position  of  Soulia  is  daily  becoming  more 
delicate  and  embarrassed.  Her  protectorate  over 
^Etolia  is  only  a  nominal  one,  and  it  is  certain  that 
the  powers  will  not  allow  her  to  enter  upon  a  cam 
paign  of  aggrandizement.  She  may  use  her  military 
strength  to  police  King  Jehan's  capital  and  to  dis- 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

perse  a  mob,  but  she  must  not  attempt  to  set  the 
political  pot  aboiling ;  the  delicately  poised  balance 
of  the  Eastern  question  must  not  be  disturbed.  But 
for  all  that  the  revolution,  so-called,  has  been  going 
on  now  for  two  months,  and  it  is  desirable  to  have 
some  kind  of  a  decision.  And  so  the  Powers  have 
adopted  the  novel  expedient  of  a  time  limit. 

To-day  is  July  the  ist,  and  it  is  tacitly  understood 
that  upon  the  nth  of  this  same  month  the  Com 
missioner  of  the  Powers  for  the  Central  Balkans  will 
arrive  at  Kar,  and  he  will  be  empowered  to  recognize 
the  status  quo,  and  only  that.  For  these  ten  days 
Jehan  and  his  Soulian  mercenaries  will  be  free  to 
crush  us  if  they  can,  upon  the  plea  of  putting  down  a 
revolt  against  the  established  order  of  things,  and,  con 
versely,  we  have  the  privilege  of  the  same  period  in 
which  to  prove  to  the  Powers  that  the  movement  is 
a  genuine  national  uprising  against  a  foreign  tyrant. 

If  Soulia  were  not  financially  embarrassed  she  might 
easily  overwhelm  the  ^Etolian  patriots  by  mere 
weight  of  numbers,  but  it  takes  money  to  move  men, 
and  ready  money,  too.  If  Coventry  had  succeeded  in 
closing  his  negotiations  with  Baron  Kerker,  our 
chances  would  have  been  slim  indeed,  but  as  it  is  we 
have  succeeded  in  drawing  the  strings  of  the  money 
bag  and  in  putting  them  well  out  of  reach.  Unless 
Coventry  can  re-establish  immediate  communication 
with  Baron  Kerker  the  Soulian  treasury  must  remain 
empty,  for  there  is  no  time  in  which  to  initiate  fresh 
negotiations.  Plainly  we  must  keep  the  Baron  a  close 
prisoner  until  July  the  nth,  the  end  of  the  period  of 
crisis. 

The  General  has  proposed  to  put  me  in  command 
of  the  Sea  Fox,  with  Crioche  as  sailing-master.  Dur 
ing  these  ten  days  we  are  to  take  good  care  to  keep 
our  distance  from  everything  either  afloat  or  ashore. 

156 


THE    ENEMY'S    HAND 

On  the  loth  of  the  month  I  am  to  run  into  Ferrol  or 
Lisbon  at  my  discretion,  and  at  both  places  tele 
graphic  instructions  will  be  awaiting  me.  After  set 
ting  Baron  Kerker  at  liberty  and  turning  over  the 
yacht  to  Crioche,  I  will  then  be  expected  to  join  the 
triumphal  procession  into  Kar  or  to  cover  the  retreat 
to  England  as  the  case  may  be.  Anything  may  hap 
pen  in  these  ten  days.  And  Mrs.  Verriker  and  madem 
oiselle  are  to  remain  on  the  yacht. 

It  did  not  take  me  long  to  decide.  "  I  will  accept 
the  trust,  General,"  I  said,  when  he  had  finished  speak 
ing. 

The  old  man  put  his  hands  on  my  shoulders:  "My 
dear  boy,"  he  said,  very  quietly,  and  that  was  all,  ex 
cept  for  the  warm  grasp  of  the  hands.  There  is  no 
need  to  speak  when  the  word  is  already  understood. 

It  was  growing  late,  and  time  for  the  shore-party  to 
be  getting  away.  The  Chevalier,  or  rather  the  Prince, 
was  on  deck,  dressed  for  the  journey,  and  it  was  the 
first  time  that  I  had  seen  him  since  we  had  been 
aboard  the  yacht.  He  had  kept  to  his  berth,  on  the 
plea  of  indisposition,  and  he  had  refused  my  offer  to 
bear  him  company.  I  was  sorry,  for  we  had  been 
friends,  but  of  course  there  was  nothing  to  be  said. 

He  looked  ill  and  troubled  now  as  he  stood  at  the 
rail  talking  earnestly  with  Mrs.  Verriker.  Was  there 
never  to  be  any  end  to  this  eternal  plot  and  counter 
plot  ?  But  this  would  finish  it,  thank  heaven  !  In 
another  hour  I  should  be  putting  out  to  sea  again  for 
those  ten  long  beautiful  days  with  Irma  Czareska. 
For  a  little  while,  the  shadows  under  which  we  had 
lived  so  long  would  be  lightened  and  we  two  might  walk 
together  in  the  sunshine.  If  after  that  the  shadow 
again — well,  the  memory  of  those  days  would  still  be 
mine.  Only  to  be  near  her,  to  see  and  speak  with 
her  for  that  little  while,  and  I  should  be  content. 

157 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

The  General,  accompanied  by  mademoiselle,  came 
on  deck  and  hurried  over  to  where  the  Prince  was 
standing. 

"All  is  ready,  sire,"  he  said,  simply,  and  baring  his 
gray  head,  he  stood  waiting  the  boy's  pleasure.  Some 
how  the  scene  realized  for  me  the  meaning  of  all  that 
had  happened  and  of  all  that  was  now  to  come.  We 
republicans  affect  to  smile  at  the  divine  right  of  kings, 
and  truly  there  were  but  few  of  the  royal  marks 
about  poor  du  Midi.  His  weaknesses  were  patent 
enough  to  all  who  knew  him.  It  was  only  that  in  this 
new  adjustment  of  their  relations  something  had  passed 
from  the  elder  to  the  younger  man  and  the  latter  had 
been  able  to  carry  it  off  well.  He  could  never  have 
seized  the  purple  mantle  for  himself,  but  since  it  had 
been  laid  across  his  shoulders,  he  wore  it  with  grace 
and  dignity. 

"  For  the  present,  General,  I  have  decided  to  re 
main  aboard  the  yacht,"  said  the  Prince  at  last. 

The  old  man's  face  changed.  "  To  stay  here  on  the 
yacht  ?"  he  echoed,  wonderingly. 

"Yes." 

"But  I  do  not  understand." 

"There  is  no  need  that  you  should,"  returned  the 
Prince,  haughtily.  "There  is  no  obligation  upon  me 
to  acquaint  you  with  the  reasons  for  my  course  of 
action." 

"  But,  sire—" 

"  That  is  sufficient,  General  Czareska.  I  shall  wait 
here  on  the  Sea  Fox  until  I  have  received  certain  ad 
vices.  Remember  that  I  am  no  longer  a  child,  and,  as 
this  is  my  own  affair,  I  will  manage  it  in  my  own 
way." 

"  My  boy  !  my  boy  !"  The  stern  face  was  working 
convulsively  ;  he  held  out  his  arms  as  though  he  would 
draw  the  young  man  to  his  breast. 

158 


THE    ENEMY'S    HAND 

It  was  the  critical  moment.  The  Prince  wavered ; 
he  looked  ashamed  of  himself,  a  petulant  child,  whose 
rebellion  needed  but  a  word  to  subdue  it,  once  and 
forever.  But  it  was  Mrs.  Verriker  who  spoke. 

"  It  is  a  difficult  business — this  king-making,"  she 
said,  with  smooth  insolence. 

It  was  skilfully  done,  that  touch  upon  the  jarring 
chord  of  vanity  and  weakness.  The  irresolute  curves 
about  the  Prince's  mouth  straightened  obstinately, 
and  the  color  flashed  up  to  his  temples. 

"You  will  receive  my  orders,  General  Czareska." 
He  spoke  rapidly,  and  in  a  high  key,  and  the  old  man 
bent  his  head  and  listened  in  silence.  "  You  will  re 
port  to  General  Ghika,  at  Kar,  and  proceed  to  co 
operate  in  the  plan  of  action  already  communicated 
to  him.  You  will  understand  that  nothing  is  left 
to  your  discretion — nothing  whatever.  That  is  plain, 
I  think,  and  you  have  only  to  do  your  duty  as  you 
find  it." 

It  was  a  painfully  long  half-minute  of  silence,  and 
I  could  not  bear  to  look  at  the  General.  Disgraced, 
superseded,  the  cherished  plans  of  a  life  swept  away 
at  the  whim  of  a  wilful  boy,  and  the  hand  of  the 
enemy  so  plainly  visible  in  it  all — ah,  but  it  was  heart 
breaking. 

"Well?"  demanded  the  Prince,  abruptly.  He  tried 
to  light  a  cigarette,  but  the  vestas  went  out  one  after 
another. 

"  I  shall  proceed  at  once,  sire,  to  carry  out  your  in 
structions.  There  is  nothing  else?" 

"  Nothing.  Except  that,  of  course,  General,  I  rely 
upon  your  utmost  diligence  and  entire  devotion." 

The  Prince  turned  away,  glad  enough  of  the  pre 
text  afforded  by  his  unmanageable  cigarette,  and  the 
cockswain  of  the  launch  reported  that  the  boat  was 
at  the  gang-way.  The  General  went  over  the  side 

159 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

and  stumbled  to  his  place  in  the  stern-sheets.  He 
had  not  said  a  word  to  me  as  to  my  course  of  action 
under  these  new  circumstances,  but  I  could  readily 
understand  that  nothing  greatly  mattered  now  either 
way.  In  losing  the  Prince  we  had  already  lost  every 
thing,  and  I  must  simply  save  what  I  could  from  the 
wreck.  I  leaned  over  the  rail  and  looked  down  at  the 
launch.  The  bowman  stood  ready  to  cast  off. 

"  All  right  below  there?" 

"  One  moment.1' 

It  was  mademoiselle  who  stood  at  my  elbow,  dressed 
in  dark  skirt  and  storm  cloak,  and  attended  by  her 
maid  with  a  hand-bag. 

"  I  could  not  let  him  go  alone,"  she  said,  "and  now 
^tolia,  more  than  ever,  demands  all  that  I  have  to 
give.  Infelix ! — but  perhaps  it  is  better  as  it  is.  I 
am  wearied  to  death  of  all  this  plotting  and  planning, 
and  am  content  to  let  things  drift  for  a  little  while. 
Chance  may  manage  better  than  I  have  done,  and  so 
good-bye." 

Her  hand  lay  close  and  warm  in  mine,  and  for  an 
instant  the  beautiful  brilliant  face  seemed  almost  at 
my  lips.  And  then  with  a  half-laugh,  or  was  it  a  half- 
sob,  she  ran  quickly  down  the  ladder  and  took  her 
place  by  her  father.  He  did  not  look  up,  but  he  moved 
aside  to  make  room  for  her. 

"Cast  off  there." 

The  launch  drifted  slowly  away  from  the  Sea  Fox, 
and  the  water  bubbled  up  under  her  stern  as  the 
screw  began  to  turn.  I  stood  at  the  taffrail  until  I 
could  no  longer  mark  the  distinction  between  a 
whitecap  and  the  flutter  of  a  handkerchief,  and  then 
turned  to  go  forward  to  the  chart-house.  It  would  be 
an  hour  before  the  launch  could  return,  and  I  might 
improve  the  time  by  a  little  study  into  the  navigation 
of  the  South  Atlantic. 

160 


THE    ENEMY'S    HAND 

At  the  foot  of  the  bridge  companion-way  I  ran  into 
du  Midi,  or  the  Prince,  as  I  must  now  learn  to  call 
him.  He  caught  me  by  the  arm. 

"  Where  is  Irma?"  he  asked,  pettishly.  "  I  have  been 
looking  for  her  everywhere." 

I  stared  at  him  coldly.  "  She  went  ashore  with 
General  Czareska,"  I  answered,  and  pushed  by  with 
out  another  word.  Nor  did  he  attempt  to  detain  me, 
and  when  I  went  into  the  cabin,  half  an  hour  later,  he 
had  retired  to  his  state-room. 

Now  I  had  come  into  the  saloon  for  a  purpose,  and 
I  walked  straight  up  to  where  Mrs.  Verriker  sat 
placidly  reading.  She  looked  up  at  me,  her  eyes 
gleaming  with  triumphant  audacity. 

"  You  are  a  clever  woman,  madame.  May  I  inquire 
when  you  expect  to  communicate  again  with  Mr. 
Coventry  ?" 

"  Within  a  day  or  so  at  the  furthest,"  she  answered, 
coolly.  "  Have  you  any  messages?" 

"Only  one,  and  that  I  expect  to  deliver  in  person." 
I  walked  over  to  the  large  state-room  directly  in  the 
stern  of  the  yacht,  and  lately  occupied  by  madem 
oiselle,  and  threw  open  the  door.  "  Now,  Mrs.  Ver 
riker,  if  you  will  be  good  enough  to  step  this  way." 

"You  will  not  dare  !"  She  spoke  without  any  pre 
tence  of  misunderstanding  my  meaning.  "  I  will 
appeal  to  the  Prince." 

"  I  owe  no  allegiance,  Mrs.  Verriker,  to  either  the 
King  of  ^Etolia  or  to  the  Caliph  of  Soulia.  More 
over,  we  are  on  the  high  seas,  and  my  papers  as  com 
mander  of  the  Sea  Fox  are  in  regular  order.  I  am 
waiting,  madame." 

She  saw  that  I  was  determined,  and  yielded — a  wise 

woman  was  madame,  and  so  the  more  to  be  feared. 

I  placed  the  key  of  the  state-room  in  my  pocket  and 

left  strict  injunctions  with  Andre",  the  cabin  steward, 

L  161 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

to  remain  on  duty  in  the  saloon  until  relieved,  and  to 
hold  no  communication  whatever  with  the  prisoner. 
If  she  wanted  anything  the  request  must  be  referred 
to  me  in  person.  Then  I  hastened  on  deck,  for  I  was 
getting  anxious  about  the  launch.  It  was  just  being 
hoisted  aboard  as  I  came  up,  and  a  few  minutes  later 
Crioche,  the  sailing-master,  reported  that  the  yacht 
was  ready  to  get  under  way.  The  course  of  straight 
out  to  sea  was  given  to  the  quartermaster,  and  the 
Sea  Fox,  plunging  forward  to  the  first  big  roller,  took 
joyfully  to  mouth  her  accustomed  bone  and  romped 
away  with  the  whole  broad  South  Atlantic  boiling  up 
under  her  forefoot.  It  would  be  a  fast  pack  that 
should  pull  down  our  sea -vixen  once  she  was  well 
away. 

The  door  of  the  chart-room  opened,  and  the  Baron 
came  out  with  the  shamefaced  air  of  one  who  has 
prolonged  his  after-luncheon  nap  to  unconscionable 
excess.  His  eyes  travelled  in  puzzled  inquiry  from 
the  dim  line  of  the  Spanish  coast  to  the  squat  figure 
of  Crioche  pacing  the  bridge. 

"I  have  overslept  myself  again,"  he  murmured,  in 
apologetic  tones.  "  But  tell  me,  was  it  not  for  this 
afternoon  that  the  landing  was  planned?  Have  I 
missed  it  entirely,  then  ?  It  is  too  bad,  for  I  particu 
larly  wanted  a  farewell  word  with  M.  du  Midi." 

''General  and  Mademoiselle  Czareska  went  ashore 
an  hour  ago,"  I  answered,  briefly.  "  The  Chevalier  du 
Midi  preferred  to  remain  aboard,  and  you  will  find 
him  in  his  state-room." 

"So!"  whistled  the  Baron,  in  soft  surprise.  He 
looked  as  though  he  wanted  to  ask  an  indiscreet  ques. 
tion,  but  he  spared  me  the  trouble  of  an  evasion,  and 
suddenly  pointed  out  to  sea. 

"  The  smoke  of  a  steamer,"  he  said,  gravely,  peering 
under  his  arched  hands  at  the  little  smudge  lying 

162 


broad  on  our  starboard  bow.     "  One  of  the  Mediter 
ranean  packets — if  I  am  not  mistaken." 

I  sent  a  boy  to  the  wheel-house  for  the  binoculars, 
but  the  distance  was  too  great  to  make  anything 
more  of  the  stranger.  Very  possibly,  as  the  Baron 
had  suggested,  it  was  one  of  the  Messageries  boats,  but 
it  was  my  business  to  keep  the  Sea  Fox  away  from 
everybody  for  these  next  ten  days,  and  I  would  take 
no  chances.  A  good-sized  steamer,  and  heading  south, 
was  the  final  conclusion,  and  I  sung  out  to  the  quar 
termaster  to  let  the  Sea  Fox  bear  up  a  couple  of  points. 
That  should  be  more  than  enough  to  clear  us,  and 
there  was  no  necessity  for  keeping  to  any  one  partic 
ular  course.  All  we  wanted  was  a  wide  field  and  no 
company. 

Dinner  was  a  stupid  meal  that  night,  although  the 
Baron  ate  for  two,  drank  for  four,  smoked  for  a  dozen, 
and,  indeed,  did  his  best  to  keep  things  going.  But 
there  was  not  a  word  exchanged  between  the  Prince 
and  myself,  and  he  finally  retired  on  the  pretence  of  a 
headache.  The  Baron  and  I  lingered  over  the  dessert ; 
really  it  was  impossible  to  be  grumpy  in  so  amiable 
a  presence,  and  I  was  astonished  at  discovering  how 
many  interesting  possibilities  there  are  in  the  scien 
tific  culture  of  roses. 

We  finally  adjourned  to  the  open,  but  it  had  turned 
chilly,  with  a  drizzling  rain,  and  after  a  turn  or  two 
of  the  wet  deck  the  Baron  went  below.  I  lingered  a 
few  minutes  to  smoke  out  my  pipe,  while  I  chatted 
with  Crioche.  Was  there  anything  to  be  seen  of  our 
unknown  steamer?  Something  twinkled  faintly  low 
down  on  the  horizon,  and  I  contended  that  it  looked 
like  a  mast-head  light.  But  Crioche  as  stoutly  in 
sisted  that  it  was  a  star,  and  the  argument  being  an 
unprofitable  one  I  cut  it  short  by  knocking  out  my 
pipe  and  following  the  Baron. 

163 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

Crioche  had  orders  to  call  me  if  anything  out  of  the 
ordinary  happened,  but  there  was  no  necessity  for  my 
taking  any  of  the  watch  duty,  and  I  was  glad  enough 
to  tumble  into  my  bunk.  But  not  to  sleep  so  easily. 
For  two  or  three  hours  I  lay  awake,  staring  at  the 
deck-beams  above  my  head,  and  wondering  if  we  were 
ever  to  come  to  the  end  of  this  dark  tunnel. 

It  was  plain  enough  now  that  Mrs.  Verriker  had 
been  acting  the  part  of  a  spy  from  the  very  beginning, 
and  her  confidential  relations  with  the  Czareskas  had 
made  her  information  of  the  utmost  value  to  the 
enemy.  It  was  undoubtedly  through  her  that  Coven 
try  had  become  suspicious  of  my  presence  in  the 
Czareska  household.  I  knew  too  much  about  the  dis 
appearance  of  the  "  Cardinal's  Rose,"  and  it  was  only 
good  fortune  that  had  saved  me  from  the  point  of  his 
buttonless  foil.  It  was  Mrs.  Verriker  again  who  had 
warned  Coventry  of  the  role  that  I  was  playing  in  the 
domestic  service  of  Baron  Kerker;  and,  finally,  it  must 
have  been  a  communication  from  her  that  had  en 
abled  our  enemies  to  follow  so  quickly  upon  our  traces 
in  the  affair  of  the  Baron's  abduction.  But  her  great 
triumph  had  been  to  lead  the  young  Prince  into  an 
attitude  of  open  rebellion  against  the  General.  How 
skilfully  she  had  worked  upon  the  boy's  vanity  and 
weakness,  and  how  fatal  the  consequences  might 
prove  both  to  the  Prince  himself  and  to  those  who 
were  risking  everything  in  his  behalf ! 

As  matters  stood,  we  retained  only  one  advantage 
of  material  importance — the  possession  of  the  money- 
ibags.  Soulia  would  get  no  loan  from  Baron  Kerker 
jso  long  as  I  could  keep  him  safely  sequestered  on  the 
yacht,  and  with  any  kind  of  luck  I  should  be  able  to 
carry  out  my  trust.  The  revolutionists  would  have 
their  ten  clear  days  in  which  to  capture  Kar  and  un 
seat  Jehan,  and  much  might  happen  within  that  time. 

164 


THE    ENEMY'S    HAND 

If  only  the  Prince  had  not  played  the  fool  at  this  last 
moment  !  In  holding  the  Baron  safe,  I  was  also 
keeping  the  Prince  off  the  scene,  and  in  the  mean  time 
the  fires  of  patriotism  were  dying  low  and  might  go 
out  altogether.  It  was  too  bad. 

My  own  position,  as  I  came  to  think  it  over,  was 
scarcely  an  enviable  one.  It  was  reasonably  certain 
that  measures  had  been  taken  at  Coventry's  instiga 
tion  for  our  capture  and  punishment,  and,  although 
the  Sea  Fox  was  a  swift  and  stanch  vessel,  we  were 
sailing  in  dangerous  waters.  It  must  be  remembered 
that  the  yacht  flew  the  French  flag,  and  our  offence 
of  kidnapping  a  French  subject  was  a  flagrant  one. 
At  any  moment  we  might  be  surprised  or  overhauled 
by  a  French  man-of-war,  and,  of  course,  the  slightest 
resistance  would  be  madness. 

It  was  impossible  for  me  to  stay  in  my  bunk  any 
longer,  and  so  I  dressed  and  went  on  deck  again.  The 
night  was  still  rainy,  and  the  Sea  Fox  was  running  at 
half-speed  on  a  southwest  course.  My  idea  was  to 
make  a  long  sweep  into  the  South  Atlantic,  cruise  in 
those  comparatively  deserted  waters  for  a  week,  and 
then  make  a  quick  dash  for  Lisbon,  timing  our  arrival 
for  the  afternoon  of  July  nth.  The  affair  would  be 
over  then  for  good,  and  the  next  step  could  be  taken 
when  we  came  to  it. 

There  was  nothing  to  be  seen  or  heard  that  could 
indicate  the  presence  of  another  vessel  in  our  neighbor 
hood,  and  as  I  was  dead  tired  I  went  into  the  chart- 
room  and  threw  myself  down  upon  a  lounge.  My 
brain  was  still  hard  at  work  threshing  out  the  old 
straw,  but  little  by  little  the  puzzle  and  the  trouble 
of  the  day  slipped  away  and  only  Irma  Czareska's 
face  remained  behind.  And,  being  well  content  to  go 
on  looking  at  that,  I  must  finally  have  fallen  asleep. 

165 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

FOX     AND     HOUNDS 

|HE  fog  was  one  solid  wall  around  us  when 
Crioche  shook  me  by  the  shoulder  and 
told  me  that  it  was  six  bells  in  the  morn 
ing  watch.  The  yacht  was  running  dead 
slow,  with  the  siren  blowing  at  half- 
minute  intervals;  the  deck  was  slippery  and  chill  with 
the  gray  masses  of  vapor  that  closed  us  in  on  every 
side,  and  I  felt  miserable  enough  until  the  steward 
brought  me  a  bowl  of  hot  coffee.  Presently  the  Baron, 
with  his  eternal  cigar,  joined  me,  but  the  Prince  did 
not  appear.  We  paced  the  deck  for  a  few  minutes, 
exchanging  uncomplimentary  remarks  about  the 
weather  ;  then  the  Baron  went  into  the  chart-room 
with  a  novel  for  company,  and  I  ran  below  for  a  bite 
of  breakfast.  While  I  was  eating  my  own  meal  I 
gave  the  key  of  Mrs.  Verriker's  room  to  the  steward 
and  told  him  to  carry  in  a  breakfast-tray.  I  half  ex 
pected  that  she  would  ask  for  an  interview,  but  ap 
parently  she  had  neither  complaint  nor  protest  to 
make,  and  after  seeing  her  safely  locked  up  again,  I 
returned  to  the  bridge. 

Eight  bells,  and  the  fog  was  still  as  thick  as  ever. 
We  barely  had  steerage-way,  and  the  siren  had  stopped 
blowing,  the  engineer  reporting  that  one  of  the  valves 
needed  repacking.  It  was  an  unpleasant  position,  for 
we  were  dead  in  the  track  of  the  Mediterranean  boats, 

166 


FOX    AND    HOUNDS 

and  I  had  no  mind  for  being  run  down  and  cut  in  two. 
Once  or  twice  I  fancied  that  I  heard  a  steamer's  fog- 
whistle,  but  I  could  not  be  sure.  There  was  nothing 
to  do  but  to  wait. 

"  There  comes  the  wind  at  last,"  said  Crioche,  and  a 
little  puff  of  air  broke  like  a  bubble  through  the 
aqueous  vapors  that  surrounded  us.  Just  above  the 
main  truck  was  a  patch  of  blue ;  in  a  few  minutes 
now  we  should  be  able  to  see  our  way.  Already  the 
wind  was  growing  stronger,  and  the  fog  was  melting 
away  like  a  lump  of  sugar  in  a  cup  of  tea. 

Down  shot  a  shaft  of  yellow  light,  Dame  Nature's 
own  broom,  and  in  a  twinkle  sky  and  seaway  were 
swept  clear  of  their  misty  cobwebs. 

"  Millc  tonnerres !"  broke  from  the  lips  of  the 
Baron,  who  had  just  joined  me  on  the  bridge,  and  I 
followed  the  direction  of  his  pointing  finger.  Not  two 
cable-lengths  away,  on  our  starboard  quarter,  lay  a 
long,  black  hull  with  the  tricolor  of  France  floating  at 
the  gaff.  The  Diane  ! 

It  was  plain  enough  that  they  had  been  waiting  for 
us,  for  it  was  only  ten  minutes  ago  that  our  whistle 
had  stopped  blowing.  Since  then  the  yacht  had  been 
drifting  slowly  down  upon  the  war-vessel,  impelled  by 
that  mysterious  attraction  which  exists  between  float 
ing  bodies.  There  was  not  the  shadow  of  a  chance  to 
escape,  for,  as  I  have  said,  the  two  vessels  were  lying 
within  point-blank  range  of  each  other,  and  the 
Diane  had  her  port  battery  of  six-pounders  trained 
squarely  upon  us.  Our  old  acquaintance,  the  lieuten 
ant,  hailed  us. 

"  We  will  send  a  boat  aboard  of  you  !"  he  shouted 
through  a  megaphone.  "  Stop  your  engines  imme 
diately!" 

In  bitterness  of  spirit  I  gave  the  signal  to  the  en 
gineer,  and  the  Sea  Fox  lost  her  headway.  The 

167 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

Frenchmen  were  clearing  away  a  cutter,  and  in  five 
minutes  now  they  would  be  over  our  rail.  What 
a  mess  I  had  made  of  the  business  intrusted  to  me  ! 
Stupid !— incapable !  There  are  no  adjectives  too 
strong  for  the  man  who  has  failed,  when  failure 
means  so  much.  I  turned  to  speak  to  the  Baron. 

"  It  will  be  your  turn — "  I  began,  and  then  stopped 
short.  The  Baron  had  left  the  bridge,  and  was  hastily 
running  forward.  Well,  it  didn't  matter. 

The  cutter  was  in  the  water  now,  and  pulling 
straight  for  us.  I  ordered  out  the  ladder  and  waited 
as  impassively  as  I  could.  A  quartermaster  answered 
the  hail  for  a  line,  and  the  officer  in  charge  of  the  cut 
ter  climbed  nimbly  to  the  yacht's  deck,  followed  by 
four  sailors. 

The  lieutenant  wasted  neither  time  nor  politeness 
in  going  through  the  customary  formalities  of  the 
occasion. 

"The  Sea  Fox?"  he  inquired,  and  then,  without 
waiting  for  an  answer :  "  Order  your  crew  abaft  the 
foremast,  and  let  me  see  your  papers." 

"See!  my  dear  lieutenant!  What  a  word  to  use 
when  a  man  is  smothering  under  this  gray  blanket  of 
fog  and  smoke!  The  devil  himself  would  not  know 
his  own  in  such  weather." 

It  was  the  Baron  who  had  spoken,  and  I  realized 
that  the  fog  had  again  closed  down  upon  us,  and,  in 
deed,  was  thicker  than  ever.  The  Diane  had  been 
completely  blotted  out,  and  I  could  hardly  distinguish 
the  blur  of  our  own  foremast  twenty  feet  away. 
Then  it  lightened  momentarily,  and  I  did  see  some 
thing  else.  The  two  machine-guns  that  the  yacht 
carried  forward  had  been  run  out  and  made  ready 
for  business,  Stephan  standing  at  the  lever  of  one, 
while  the  Baron  in  person  manned  the  other.  The 
Baron  had  his  gun  trained  directly  upon  the  French 

168 


FOX    AND    HOUNDS 

lieutenant  and  his  little  boarding-party,  while  Stephan 
was  covering  the  gangway.  In  an  instant  I  had 
grasped  the  situation  and  had  acted  upon  it.  The 
telegraph  flashed  the  signal  of  half-speed  ahead  to 
the  engine-room,  and  the  quartermaster  at  my  side 
threw  the  wheel  hard  over  to  port. 

"  Are  you  mad,  monsieur?"  shouted  the  lieutenant, 
as  he  felt  the  first  throb  of  the  propellers  and  realized 
that  the  Sea  Fox  was  again  under  way.  "  Do  you  want 
to  be  blown  out  of  water  ?"  he  continued,  excitedly. 

"  Gently,  my  dear  sir.  If  you  will  be  good  enough 
to  look  first  behind  and  then  around  you,  you  will  un 
derstand  that  I  am  justified  in  acting  as  I  do.  I  will 
now  give  you  thirty  seconds  in  which  to  get  into 
your  boat  and  cast  off.  You  will  be  picked  up  by 
your  ship  when  the  fog  lifts — and  I  have  all  the 
passengers  that  I  care  to  carry." 

Well,  I  could  hardly  help  laughing  outright  at  the 
dumb  amazement  with  which  my  cocky  young  friend 
confronted  the  pepper-box  muzzles  of  the  machine- 
guns.  And  as  for  his  own  ship,  she  might  as  well 
have  been  a  thousand  miles  away  for  all  the  assist 
ance  that  she  could  give  him.  The  logic  of  fact  was 
inexorable,  and  he  had  to  give  in  to  it. 

"You  understand  the  consequences  of  your  act," 
he  said,  in  a  choking  voice. 

"Perfectly,  sir — but  your  boat  is  awaiting  you." 

The  lieutenant  bowed ;  I  returned  his  salute,  and 
he  followed  his  men  over  the  side.  The  line  was  cast 
off,  and  in  an  instant  the  cutter  had  slipped  astern, 
lost  to  sight  in  the  proverbial  basin  of  pea-soup.  I 
ran  to  the  speaking-tube  and  called  down  for  full 
speed,  repeating  the  order  on  the  telegraph.  The 
Sea  Fox  gave  a  bound,  and  then  sprang  ahead  as 
though  a  pack  of  hounds  had  opened  upon  her.  If 
only  the  fog  held  for  these  coming  ten  minutes  ! 

169 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

Luck  was  with  us  this  time,  for  when  the  mist 
finally  dissolved  into  a  glorious  day  the  Diane  was 
fully  five  miles  to  leeward.  But  it  was  speedily  made 
clear  that  she  was  not  yet  ready  to  abandon  the 
chase.  Already  she  had  picked  up  the  cutter,  and 
now  she  had  altered  her  course  so  as  to  lay  us  aboard. 
She  fired  a  shell  from  her  bow  rifle  as  a  final  hint, 
but  the  distance  was  too  great,  and  the  gun  was 
quickly  run  in.  The  chase  was  on  now  for  a  finish, 
and  I  had  an  opportunity  to  measure  up  the  unpleas 
ant  possibilities  that  might  attend  upon  an  adverse 
result.  Still,  they  would  have  to  catch  me  first,  and 
the  South  Atlantic  is  a  big  hunting-ground. 

As  has  been  said,  the  Diane  was  a  torpedo-boat  de 
stroyer,  and  was  rated  at  thirty-two  knots.  The  Sea 
Fox  was  equipped  with  Parsons's  rotary  turbine 
motors,  and  had  developed  a  maximum  of  thirty-six 
knots  on  her  trial-trip.  Other  things  being  equal, 
we  should  leave  the  Diane  hull  down  on  the  sky-line 
within  the  next  three  or  four  hours.  On  the  face  of 
it  the  fox  had  the  heels  of  the  hounds. 

I  left  the  bridge  in  charge  of  Crioche  and  went 
into  the  chart-room  for  a  few  minutes'  rest  on  one  of 
the  big  lounges.  I  found  the  Baron  there,  surrounded 
as  usual  by  a  cloud  of  cigar-smoke.  We  shook  hands 
warmly.  "  You  are  a  most  remarkable  prisoner  of 
war,"  I  said,  smilingly.  "  It  would  almost  seem  that 
you  object  to  being  rescued." 

"  My  dear  Gary,"  returned  the  Baron,  solemnly, 
"you  see  before  you  a  man  who  has  not  had  a  real 
vacation  in  eighteen  years.  Thanks  to  you  and  your 
friends,  I  am  now  enjoying  a  respite  from  the  cares 
of  business,  and  I  don't  propose  to  be  deprived  of 
my  well-earned  repose  without  a  protest.  I  am  out 
of  school,  and  I  don't  intend  to  go  back  until  I  am 
good  and  ready.  Is  that  clear  ?" 

170 


FOX    AND    HOUNDS 

"  Oh,  I  am  quite  prepared  to  believe  it,  after  seeing 
the  fashion  in  which  you  handled  that  machine-gun. 
So  you  are  a  practical  artillerist  as  well  as  automo- 
bilist  ?" 

"  Merely  in  the  amateur  way,  my  dear  fellow.  And, 
by-the-bye,  there  was  no  cartridge-belt  in  either  of 
the  guns.  An  interesting  piece  of  evidence  if  the 
affair  ever  came  to  a  trial." 

"  Baron,  you  are  a  great  man  !  What  a  poker- 
player  you  would  make  !" 

"  Some  day  you  will  teach  me,  eh  ?  That  will  be 
delightful,  and  it  will  enable  me  to  forget  the  Bourse. 
But  keep  up  your  steam,  my  brave  young  man.  The 
fog  is  a  good  card,  but  it  cannot  be  played  twice." 

The  three  or  four  hours  passed,  and  it  was  uncom 
fortable  to  note  that  the  Diane  had  not  been  left 
astern  according  to  programme.  So  far  as  I  could 
judge  our  relative  positions  remained  unchanged — if 
anything  we  had  lost  a  trifle.  The  log  had  indicated 
thirty-two  knots  in  that  first  burst  of  speed,  and 
although  it  was  not  our  best  showing,  it  was  reason 
able  to  conclude  that  the  Diane  would  fall  short  in 
about  the  same  proportion  of  her  nominal  steaming 
power.  I  walked  aft  and  looked  again  at  the 
"  cherub  "  or  patent  log  that  was  towing  astern.  To 
my  amazement  it  indicated  only  twenty-six  knots, 
and  even  as  I  stood  looking  at  it  it  dropped  to  twenty- 
five.  Waiting  only  long  enough  to  be  sure  that  the 
log  was  working  all  right  I  ran  below  to  the  engine- 
room. 

The  chief  engineer  was  a  Scotchman  by  the  name 
of  McLeod,  and  a  new  recruit  to  the  Sea  Fox.  He 
had  been  hired  on  short  notice  at  Havre,  to  fill  the 
place  of  Brand,  the  regular  chief,  the  latter  having 
been  taken  ill  some  ten  days  ago,  just  as  the  yacht 
was  about  to  be  placed  in  commission.  McLeod  had 

171 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

given  excellent  references,  and  there  was  apparently 
no  reason  why  he  should  not  get  the  best  out  of  the 
Sea  Fox,  it  being  understood  that  he  had  had  some 
special  experience  with  her  peculiar  type  of  motor. 

As  I  entered  the  engine-room  I  happened  to  glance 
at  an  oil-cup  that  covered  an  important  bearing.  The 
cup  was  dry,  and  already  the  bearing  was  creaking 
ominously. 

I  shouted  at  McLeod,  and  he  came  up,  a  bit  reluc 
tantly  as  I  thought.  I  called  his  attention  to  the  mis 
chief  that  was  being  done,  and  he  mumbled  some  kind 
of  explanation  under  his  breath.  But  I  had  not  come 
to  hear  excuses,  however  good  they  might  be. 

"  If  anything  happens  to  these  engines,  my  man," 
and  here  I  stared  hard  at  him,  "  why,  look  out  for  squal 
ly  weather.  It's  your  neck  or  mine,  and  the  choice 
at  present  lies  with  me."  The  fellow's  eyes  dropped, 
and  he  involuntarily  fell  back  a  step  or  two. 

"And  what  does  this  mean?"  I  continued,  pointing 
to  the  steam-gauge.  "Only  one  hundred  and  sixty 
pounds — and  you  should  have  at  least  two  hundred 
and  twenty!" 

"  It's  the  coal,"  he  answered, sullenly;  "  a  rotten  lot 
of  slate  and  other  truck.  You  can't  stoke  with  such 
rubbishy  stuff." 

"  It  was  the  best  Welsh  steaming,"  I  retorted,  "  for 
I  sent  General  Czareska's  order  myself.  Stand  aside 
there,  I  want  to  have  a  look  at  the  bunkers."  Mc 
Leod  made  as  though  he  would  bar  my  passage,  but 
quickly  thought  better  of  it,  and  I  stepped  into  the  fire- 
room.  The  stokers  were  hard  at  work,  and  the 
furnaces  were  apparently  in  full  blast.  I  picked  up  a 
piece  of  coal  and  examined  it  carefully.  It  was  un 
doubtedly  Welsh  and  of  the  best  quality.  McLeod 
had  lied  to  me,  and  he  must  be  purposely  wasting  his 
steam. 

173 


FOX    AND    HOUNDS 

"If  you  please,  sir,"  and  one  of  the  coal-passers 
touched  my  sleeve.  I  turned  and  inquired  what  was 
wanting.  "  We're  running  very  short  in  the  bunkers, 
sir.  At  this  rate  they  will  be  out  before  morning." 

I  stared  open-mouthed  at  this  messenger  of  Job. 
"You  are  crazy,  man,"  I  said,  roughly,  having  found 
my  tongue  at  last.  "  The  bunkers  were  full  up  when 
we  left  Havre,  and  they  are  big  enough  for  a  month's 
steaming." 

"Then  there  is  some  kind  of  devil  work  aboard,"  he 
returned,  excitedly.  "Will  you  look  in  here,  sir  ?" 

He  led  the  way  into  one  of  the  bunkers.  The  com 
partment  seemed  to  be  three-quarters  full  of  coal,  but 
when  my  man  plunged  a  heavy  fire-bar  into  the  mass, 
it  struck  hard  on  some  planking  that  lay  only  a  few 
inches  below  the  surface  of  the  fuel. 

"  And  it's  the  same  in  all  the  others,"  he  insisted, 
stubbornly.  "  There's  this  false  bottoming  in  them 
all,  so  that  they  look  to  be  full  when  they're  only 
carrying  about  a  quarter  of  their  holding." 

In  a  few  minutes  I  had  satisfied  myself  that  such 
was  actually  the  case.  Here  was  another  finger 
mark  of  Mrs.  Verriker's  clever  hands.  Just  how  the 
trick  had  been  played  was  beyond  my  knowledge, 
but  the  fact  remained  that  we  would  be  out  of  fuel 
within  twelve  or  fifteen  hours.  Devil's  work,  in 
deed  ! 

Crioche  I  knew  to  be  above  suspicion,  and  the  job 
of  putting  the  false  bottoms  in  the  bunkers  might 
easily  have  been  done  during  his  absence  from  the 
yacht  two  weeks  ago,  when  the  General  had  sum 
moned  him  to  Paris  to  receive  his  final  instructions. 
The  stoking  crew  were  a  new  lot,  and  had  only  been 
put  aboard  three  days  before  we  sailed.  And  the  two 
assistant  engineers  had  also  joined  at  the  last  mo 
ment,  and  were  entitled  to  the  benefit  of  the  doubt. 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

But  there  was  one  person  who  must  have  known 
about  this  dirty  piece  of  business,  and  that  man  was, 
of  course,  McLeod,  the  chief.  He  had  been  in  charge 
at  the  time  when  the  yacht  was  coaling,  and  he  was 
either  directly  concerned  in  the  plot  or  criminally 
neglectful  of  his  duties. 

I  went  back  into  the  engine-room  with  one  hand 
upon  the  revolver  that  I  carried  in  a  side-pocket.  I 
glanced  at  the  steam-gauge.  It  indicated  two  hun 
dred  and  fifteen  pounds,  and  just  then  Berton,  the 
first  assistant,  entered  to  begin  his  watch. 

"  You  will  act  as  chief  until  further  orders,"  I  said, 
calling  him  up  to  me,  "  and  I  want  the  very  best  that 
you  can  get  out  of  her.  I  will  see  you  again  in  a  mo 
ment." 

I  turned  to  McLeod.  The  man's  face  looked  like 
a  piece  of  wet  paper,  and  his  knees  were  shaking. 
"  March  !"  I  said,  briefly,  and  I  forced  him  to  precede 
me  up  the  companion-way.  There  was  no  need  for 
any  more  words,  and  he  went  into  his  state-room 
without  the  least  show  of  resistance.  I  turned  the 
key  over  to  Stephan,  and  instructed  him  to  remain 
on  guard  duty  until  relieved.  Then  returning  to  the 
engine-room,  I  had  a  short  talk  with  Berton.  He  de 
nied  all  knowledge  of  the  crooked  work  in  the  fire- 
room,  and  insisted  that  he  only  wanted  a  chance 
to  prove  his  good  faith.  I  told  him  that  he  could 
have  it,  but  I  was  very  plain  as  to  what  I  expected  of 
him.  Coal  or  no  coal,  the  Sea  Fox  must  continue  to 
make  from  twenty-eight  to  thirty  knots  an  hour  un 
til  further  orders.  After  dark  we  should  determine 
upon  our  next  move. 

Going  on  deck,  I  looked  again  at  the  log.  We 
were  making  twenty-six  knots,  and  should  be  gaining 
on  the  Diane.  At  our  present  rate  of  speed  the  coal 
should  hold  out  until  two  or  three  o'clock  in  the 


FOX    AND    HOUNDS 

morning.  In  the  mean  time  we  must  open  tne  gap  as 
wide  as  possible. 

It  was  past  noon,  and  Crioche  had  just  finished 
working  out  his  observations.  The  result  showed  us 
to  be  in  Lat.  N.  40.10,  and  with  an  offing  of  some 
three  hundred  miles  from  the  Portuguese  coast. 
Roughly  speaking,  Lisbon  bore  the  same  distance 
away  to  the  southeast.  At  our  present  rate  of  steam 
ing  we  might  make  port  within  eight  hours  or  so,  but 
it  would  be  impossible  for  us  to  change  our  course 
with  safety,  unless  we  could  contrive  to  give  the 
Diane  the  slip  under  cover  of  darkness.  At  present 
she  was  steaming  in  a  parallel  line  between  the  Sea 
Fox  and  the  coast,  and  our  margin  of  actual  speed 
was  too  small  to  give  us  any  chance  to  cut  in.  Even 
now  she  was  only  some  six  or  seven  miles  away,  and 
I  had  a  great  respect  for  the  effective  range  of  her 
rapid-fire  batteries.  But  if  we  could  get  well  ahead 
before  darkness  fell,  it  might  then  be  possible 
to  extinguish  our  lights  and  make  a  quick  dash 
for  Lisbon  and  safety.  Fortunately  the  moon 
would  be  down,  and  the  sky  was  already  clouding 
over. 

All  this  meant  a  complete  upset  for  our  plans,  but 
there  was  no  help  for  it.  Without  coal,  we  could  not 
hope  to  keep  at  sea  indefinitely,  and  assuredly  I  had 
no  fancy  for  being  overhauled  by  the  torpedo-boat 
destroyer  and  carried  back  to  France  to  answer  to  the 
serious  charges  that  would  be  brought  against  me. 
Of  course,  if  we  made  port  to-morrow,  I  should  have 
failed  to  carry  out  General  Czareska's  orders,  and  the 
Baron  would  have  his  liberty  a  week  ahead  of  time. 
But,  after  all,  what  difference  could  it  make  whether 
the  banker  owed  his  release  to  the  captain  of  the 
Diane  or  to  the  French  consul  at  Lisbon  ?  We  were 
beaten  in  either  event,  and  it  was  now  every  one  for 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

himself.  And,  besides,  there  was  my  other  charge, 
the  Prince. 

Hunting  up  the  Baron,  I  laid  the  case  frankly  be 
fore  him.  "  You  will  understand,"  I  concluded,  "that 
your  personal  liberty  is  assured  the  instant  that  we 
land  on  Portuguese  soil.  We  have  been  squarely 
beaten  out  on  that  line,  and  if  Soulia  is  to  have  her 
loan,  so  be  it.  I  also  realize  that  no  possible  apology 
can  be  offered  you  for  the  treatment  that  you  have 
suffered  at  our  hands.  The  outrage  must  be  regarded 
as  an  act  of  warfare,  and  punishable  only  because  of 
its  non-success.  I  prefer  to  surrender  to  you  rather 
than  to  the  captain  of  the  Diane — that  is  all." 

"  But  supposing  that  I  do  not  choose  to  interfere 
with  your  future  movements — what  then  ?"  queried 
the  Baron,  calmly.  "If  I  am  not  indiscreet,"  he  hast 
ened  to  add. 

"  I  should  at  once  rejoin  General  Czareska  in  the 
field,  and  do  my  best  to  persuade  the  Prince  to  ac 
company  me.  But  I  am  afraid  that  my  arguments 
will  not  weigh  much  against  Mrs.  Verriker's  influ 
ence.  And  yet  even  now  the  presence  of  Infelix 
might  turn  the  scale." 

"So!"  mused  the  Baron.  "Well,  perhaps  you  are 
right,  perhaps  not.  And  now  shall  we  go  down  to 
luncheon  ?" 

It  was  a  long,  anxious  afternoon,  and  I  spent  it  in 
pacing  the  quarter-deck,  with  one  eye  always  on  the 
patent  log  that  was  spinning  astern.  And  I  must 
have  made  at  least  twenty  trips  to  the  engine-room. 
Berton  was  doing  splendidly,  but  the  furnaces,  under 
forced  draught,  were  eating  up  the  coal  at  a  fearful 
rate.  We  calculated  that  it  would  be  out  by  three 
o'clock  in  the  morning  if  we  kept  on  driving  the 
yacht  at  her  maximum  of  speed.  Yet  there  was 
nothing  else  to  do,  at  least  until  darkness  fell.  In 

176 


FOX    AND    HOUNDS 

the  mean  time  I  smoked  more  than  was  good  for  me, 
and  almost  succeeded  in  keeping  pace  with  the  Baron. 
At  seven  o'clock  I  had  a  bit  of  supper  served  to  me 
in  the  chart-room,  and  then  waited  with  growing  im 
patience  for  the  twilight  to  darken  into  night.  At 
eight  I  could  no  longer  see  the  hands  of  my  watch, 
and  I  determined  that  the  time  had  come. 


CHAPTER  XIX 

A     STERN     CHASE 

IN  order  that  the  reader  may  understand 
what  follows,  I  will  set  down  again,  as 
briefly  as  may  be,  the  particulars  of  the 
situation  in  which  we  found  ourselves. 
Our  objective-point  was  now  Lisbon,  but 
between  us  and  the  Portuguese  coast  lay  the  enemy. 
The  mast-head  light  of  the  Diane  was  plainly  visible 
over  our  port  quarter,  an.d  Crioche  calculated  that 
she  was  hardly  six  miles  away.  We  could  not  possi 
bly  get  so  far  ahead  as  to  be  able  to  cut  across  her 
bows  in  safety  ;  the  Frenchman  would  have  us  pock 
eted  the  instant  we  departed  from  the  parallel  lines 
in  which  the  two  vessels  were  steaming.  If,  however, 
we  stopped  our  engines,  the  Diane  would  quickly  run 
ahead  of  us,  and  we  should  then  have  room  under  her 
stern  in  which  to  make  the  final  dash  for  Lisbon. 
Excellent  strategy,  but  it  depended  upon  the  pre 
sumption  that  the  captain  of  the  Diane  would  be 
obliging  enough  to  overrun  us  by  just  that  necessary 
margin  of  two  or  three  miles.  As  a  matter  of  fact, 
he  would  probably  discover  without  delay  that  we  had 
stopped  our  engines,  and  his  first  thought  would  be 
to  bear  straight  down  upon  the  Sea  Fox  rather  than 
to  keep  on  running  away  from  her.  It  is  a  safe  rule 
in  playing  the  Kriegsspiel  to  give  the  enemy  credit 
for  a  little  more  intelligence  than  he  actually  pos- 

178 


A    STERN    CHASE 

sesses  ;  it  acts  as  a  healthful  stimulus  to  one's  inven 
tive  faculties. 

It  was  an  old,  old  trick  that  I  had  in  mind.  Nothing 
more  than  a  false  floating-light,  the  last  resort  of  the 
salt-water  novelists.  But  it  had  come  to  that  with  us. 
If  the  trick  worked,  we  should  get  that  coveted  inside 
place,  and  have  at  least  a  run  for  our  life.  If  it  failed, 
we  were  no  worse  off  than  before,  and  in  either  case 
our  bunkers  would  be  bare  by  two  or  three  hours  after 
midnight.  On  a  straightaway  course,  there  was  not 
the  shadow  of  a  show  for  us ;  the  Sea  Fox  must  use  her 
brains  now,  if  she  were  to  save  her  brush. 

Crioche  had  been  at  work  preparing  the  weighted 
barrel  that  was  to  carry  the  lantern,  and  at  a  given 
signal  our  side  and  mast-head  lights  were  extinguished, 
and  the  floating  beacon  lowered  into  the  water.  Then 
the  Sea  Fox  was  headed  away  on  a  long  diagonal  to  her 
former  course,  and  on  a  line  which  should  bring  us 
plump  across  the  destroyer's  bows.  But  we  calcu 
lated,  that  the  Frenchman,  having  noticed  that  our 
false  light  was  stationary,  would  change  his  course, 
and  bear  down  upon  it  in  the  hope  of  finding  the 
yacht  disabled  from  some  accident  to  her  machinery. 

They  were  assuredly  keeping  a  sharp  lookout  on  the 
Diane,  for  hardly  five  minutes  had  elapsed  before  her 
red  port-light  flashed  into  view,  indicating  that  she 
had  changed  her  course,  and  was  running  down  upon 
our  floating  beacon.  It  seemed  too  good  for  belief 
that  the  trick  had  really  come  off,  but  the  Sea  Fox 
was  doing  her  best  now,  and  in  a  very  few  minutes 
we  should  have  the  rail  on  our  pursuers  and  Lisbon 
under  our  bows. 

It  is  hardly  necessary  to  say  that  I  had  given  strict 
orders  against  showing  a  light  of  any  description.  I 
even  compelled  the  Baron  to  dispense  with  his  eternal 
cigar,  and  there  was  only  the  carefully  shrouded  glim- 

179 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

mer  of  the  binnacle-lamp  to  relieve  the  coal-black 
obscurity  in  which  we  were  racing  along. 

Suddenly  the  Diane's  green  side-light  disappeared, 
and  only  the  red  light  on  the  port  side  remained  to 
show  that  she  was  passing  us.  A  few  minutes  later  and 
that  too  went  out  of  sight ;  the  Diane  was  now  steam 
ing  almost  directly  away  from  us,  and  we  had  shaped 
our  course  for  Lisbon.  The  Diane  had  still  three  or 
four  miles  to  run  before  she  would  be  able  to  make  out 
the  nature  of  our  false  signal,  and  every  minute  now 
was  precious.  Our  one  chance  lay  in  getting  the 
longest  possible  start  on  the  enemy,  and  it  looked  as 
though  we  had  succeeded. 

The  Baron  and  I  clasped  hands  with  a  spontaneous 
impulse,  and  for  the  moment  I  forgot  entirely  the 
curious  relations  in  which  we  stood  ;  it  seemed  quite 
natural  that  his  sympathies  should  so  evidently  incline 
to  our  side. 

"  The  first  blood,  Baron  !"  I  cried,  exultantly.  Then 
my  voice  died  away  in  my  throat ;  I  became  conscious 
that  I  had  crowed  a  bit  too  soon.  The  Diane  had  sud 
denly  shown  both  her  side  lights  again,  and  this 
meant,  of  course,  that  she  had  discovered  the  trick, 
and  had  spun  round  on  her  heel  to  take  up  the  chase 
after  the  real  quarry.  And  apparently  she  had  picked 
us  up  without  the  smallest  appearance  of  uncertainty, 
for  she  was  plunging  along  at  full  speed,  dead  in  our 
wake. 

To  be  sure,  they  might  have  guessed  that  we  would 
make  for  the  coast,  but  how  had  they  been  able  to 
hit  upon  our  exact  course,  and  that,  too,  without  the 
loss  of  a  moment's  time  ?  It  looked  very  much  as 
though  our  enemies  had  received  a  tip  upon  our 
whereabouts.  But  who  could  have  given  it,  and 
how  ?  It  was  really  most  unfortunate,  for  I  had  cal 
culated  that  a  long  start  would  permit  of  several 

1 80 


A    STERN    CHASE 

hours  of  moderate  steaming,  and  a  consequent  sav 
ing  of  our  precious  coal.  If  we  were  to  be  pushed  to 
it  at  once  the  bunkers  would  be  empty  while  there 
were  still  a  good  hundred  miles  between  the  Sea  Fox 
and  her  hole.  These  turbine  motors,  at  top-speed, 
require  an  enormous  amount  of  steam,  entailing 
a  corresponding  consumption  of  fuel.  But  it  must 
be  done,  for  we  were  now  idling  along  at  an  eighteen- 
knot  rate,  while  the  Diane  was  racing  down  upon  us 
with  the  speed  of  a  Hudson  River  ice-yacht. 

Well,  we  are  holding  our  own  again,  but  still  the 
sharp  bow  of  the  torpedo-boat  destroyer  keeps  point 
ing  dead  on  our  stern-post,  and  she  is  marking  us 
down  as  exactly  as  though  we  had  been  lit  up  for  a 
ball.  And  yet,  cabin  and  deck,  the  Sea  Fox  is  in  ab 
solute  darkness,  not  the  glimmer  of  a  match-head 
showing  anywhere,  and,  as  I  have  said  already,  the 
night  is  cloudy  and  darker  than  the  ordinary.  It  is 
very  perplexing,  and  even  more  alarming.  Is  the 
Sea  Fox  leaving  a  veritable  scent  that  these  dogs-of- 
war  are  running  her  so  closely  ? 

The  patent  log  was  working  unevenly,  and  I  thought 
it  possible  that  it  might  be  partially  fouled  with  sea 
weed.  I  leaned  over  the  taffrail  and  gave  the  cord 
a  jerk  or  two  in  order  to  free  it.  As  I  did  so  my  eye 
caught  a  yellow  glint  of  light  shooting  out  over 
the  half  acre  of  foam  churned  up  by  our  screws. 
There  it  was  again  !  There  could  be  no  mistake — a 
light  must  be  showing  at  one  of  the  cabin  stern-ports. 
Then  I  remembered  that  Mrs.  Verriker  was  a  pris 
oner  in  an  after  state-room,  and  I  anathematized  my 
stupidity.  It  was  true  that  I  had  ordered  Stephan  to 
extinguish  the  lamp  in  her  room,  but  I  had  over 
looked  the  possibility  of  her  relighting  it. 

Calling  Pierre,  the  boatswain,  to  follow  me,  I  jumped 
below.  There  was  no  outward  evidence  of  a  light  in 

181 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

Mrs.  Verriker's  room,  but  so  clever  a  woman  would 
never  neglect  the  obvious  precaution  of  stopping  up 
threshold  crack  and  key-hole.  I  rapped  at  the  door 
and  demanded  admittance.  Madame  answered  ob 
stinately  that  she  had  retired  for  the  night,  and  that 
compliance  with  my  request  was  impossible.  Argu 
ment  being  futile  under  the  circumstances,  I  ordered 
Pierre  to  set  his  shoulder  to  the  door.  Crack  !  and  it 
had  parted  with  its  hinges.  Mrs.  Verriker  was  dis 
covered  sitting  at  the  table  and  placidly  working  on 
her  embroidery  frame. 

With  the  briefest  of  apologies  I  blew  out  the  lamp, 
which  was  swinging  directly  in  front  of  the  unshaded 
port-hole,  and  turned  to  go. 

"  At  least,  sir,  you  will  have  the  decency  to  have 
my  door  replaced,"  remarked  madame,  icily. 

"  I'm  afraid  not,  Mrs.  Verriker.  The  door  will 
probably  be  needed  for  another  purpose,  and  since 
you  have  not  retired,  I  really  think  you  would  find  k 
more  comfortable  on  deck.  Allow  me." 

Of  course  she  had  to  obey,  and  I  left  her  in  charge 
of  the  Baron,  who  would  see  that  she  did  not  get  into 
any  new  mischief.  Then  I  sent  for  Berton,  and  re 
ceived  his  assurance  that  the  coal  would  hold  out  un 
til  after  two  o'clock.  In  the  mean  time  I  should  be 
preparing  another  kind  of  diet  for  those  insatiate 
gluttons,  the  furnaces. 

The  Sea  Fox  was  a  top-sail  schooner  in  rig,  and  I 
quickly  had  men  aloft  sending  down  the  lighter  spars 
and  yards,  which  the  carpenter  and  his  mates  pro 
ceeded  to  cross-cut  into  convenient  lengths  for  the 
fire-boxes.  Then  the  top-masts  were  unshipped  and 
lowered — a  heavy  job,  but  old  Crioche  understood 
his  business,  and  the  Sea  Fox  carried  a  large  crew. 
Fortunately  we  had  plenty  of  axes  and  saws,  and 
every  man  could  be  put  to  work.  Even  the  cook  and 

182 


A    STERN    CHASE 

the  cabin  stewards  could  be  employed  in  ripping  out 
the  cabin  fittings  and  lighter  wood-work. 

By  two  o'clock  in  the  morning  the  deck  of  the  Sea 
Fox  resembled  the  wood-yard  of  a  city  mission.  The 
lower  masts  had  been  cut  away  close  to  the  deck,  the 
deck  and  pilot  houses  had  been  taken  to  pieces,  and 
the  wreckers  were  now  busy  gutting  the  cabin.  The 
Sea  Fox  had  been  fitted  up  in  the  most  sumptuous 
fashion,  and  I  felt  like  a  vandal  as  I  watched  axe  and 
saw  biting  into  those  superb  mahogany  and  rosewood 
panels.  But  the  devil  was  driving  now,  and  it  was 
needs  must. 

At  fifteen  minutes  after  two  o'clock  Berton  sent 
word  that  the  coal  was  about  gone,  and  I  organized 
a  line  of  passers  to  hand  the  new  fuel  down  the  fire- 
room  hatchway.  And  then  the  sport  began  in  ear 
nest. 

The  wood  was  light  and  dry,  and  burned  freely  in 
the  intense  draught  of  the  furnaces.  There  was  a 
continuous  stream  of  sparks  at  the  funnel-mouth, 
and  the  incandescent  particles  shooting  high  in  the 
air  made  a  beacon  that  might  be  seen  for  miles.  It 
was  a  true  pillar  of  fire  for  the  guidance  of  our  en 
emies,  and  of  course  any  further  concealment  of  our 
position  and  intentions  was  now  impossible.  The 
Diane  had  been  edging  away  from  the  direct  line 
ever  since  the  extinguishment  of  the  guiding  light  in 
Mrs.  Verriker's  window,  but  now  she  was  at  our 
heels  again,  and  coming,  indeed,  somewhat  faster  than 
I  liked. 

Cut,  rip,  and  smash  !  The  men  were  working  like 
demons,  and  the  yacht  was  being  rapidly  stripped  of 
everything  that  could  be  made  to  burn  and  that  was 
not  absolutely  indispensable  for  keeping  the  Sea  Fox 
afloat.  It  was  a  heart-breaking  task,  for  the  fiery 
mouths  of  the  furnaces  were  ever  crying  "  More  ! 

183 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

More  !"  and  it  was  a  difficult  job  to  break  up  the  sol 
idly  constructed  fittings  and  partitions  that  General 
Czareska's  builders  had  put  into  the  yacht.  The 
General  had  wanted  a  good  sea-boat,  and  he  had  not 
been  cheated  in  his  contracts. 

On  and  on  we  worked  under  the  blistering  show 
ers  of  sparks  that  fell  from  the  smoke-stack,  choked 
with  eddying,  acrid  vapors,  blinded  with  sweat  and 
dust,  but  working  on  just  the  same.  My  brave  fel 
lows  !  they  shall  be  well  paid  for  their  devotion,  when 
Fortune's  wheel  begins  to  turn  again. 

The  Prince  had  come  on  deck,  and  was  watching 
the  proceedings  impassively,  with  now  and  then  a 
whispered  word  to  Mrs.  Verriker.  But  the  Baron  ! 
Ah,  the  incomparable  Baron  !  Actually  he  did  the 
work  of  two  or  three  men,  cutting  and  sawing  with 
the  best  of  them,  joking  with  the  valiant,  cheering 
the  faint-hearted,  and  never  forgetting  to  keep  one 
eye  on  the  patent  log  and  the  other  on  the  Diane's 
mast-head  light.  What  should  we  have  done  without 
the  help  of  this  excellent  man  ?  Who  could  resist 
admiring  this  large-hearted  sportsman,  who  could 
sink  all  personal  feeling  so  completely  in  his  generous 
ardor  that  the  game  should  be  played  to  a  finish  ?  It 
was  not  your  fight,  old  comrade,  or  rather  you  were 
on  the  wrong  side  of  it.  But  since  it  had  turned  out 
to  be  a  closely  played  contest  you  could  not  resist 
taking  a  hand  in  it.  My  compliments,  Baron  Kerker. 

Two,  \:hree,  four  hours  passed,  and  the  Sea  Fox  was 
still  making  the  running.  But  the  Diane  was  un 
questionably  gaining,  and  we  must  be  almost  if  not 
quite  within  range  of  her  bow  rifles.  I  wondered  at 
first  that  she  did  not  use  them,  but  her  commander 
had  undoubtedly  received  his  orders  against  doing 
anything  that  might  imperil  the  safety  of  our  dis 
tinguished  bone  of  contention.  The  Baron's  personal 

184 


A    STERN    CHASE 

safety  must  be  kept  in  mind,  and  so  it  was  merely  a 
race  to  a  stand-still. 

Crioche  had  calculated  that  in  another  hour,  or  by 
seven  o'clock,  we  should  be  over  the  three-mile  line, 
but  it  would  be  touch-and-go,  for  our  men  were  be 
coming  exhausted  under  the  strain  of  continuous 
hard  work,  and  the  steam-pressure  was  dropping 
steadily.  All  of  the  lighter  wood-work  and  top- 
hamper  had  already  gone  into  the  fire-boxes,  and  the 
wreckers  were  now  sawing  up  the  lower  masts,  and 
ripping  out  such  portions  of  the  bulwarks  and  deck 
timbers  as  could  be  spared  without  endangering 
our  immediate  safety.  But  this  new  supply  did 
not  burn  so  freely,  and  Berton  came  up  to  say  that 
there  was  not  enough  heat  in  the  stuff  to  make 
steam. 

"  Oil,"  suggested  the  Baron.  A  happy  thought, 
and  instantly  adopted.  A  barrel  of  kerosene  was 
hoisted  out  of  the  forepeak,  and  the  Baron,  arming 
himself  with  a  watering-can,  set  to  work  with  all  the 
enthusiastic  energy  of  a  pttroleur.  The  wood  was 
thoroughly  sprayed  with  the  oil,  and  under  the  fierce 
draught  of  the  blowers  it  melted  away  in  the  fire 
boxes  as  though  it  had  been  so  much  tissue-paper. 
Again  the  needle  of  the  steam-gauge  pointed  to  a 
working  pressure,  and  the  Sea  Fox  sprang  ahead  for 
one  last  effort.  And  there  was  Lisbon  light  dead  on 
the  starboard  bow. 

It  was  just  seven  o'clock,  or  six  bells  in  the  morn 
ing  watch,  when  the  yacht  dashed  over  the  three-mile 
line.  The  Diane  had  by  this  time  drawn  up  to  within 
a  couple  of  miles,  and  she  might  easily  have  pounded 
us  to  pieces  had  she  dared  to  use  her  guns.  As  it 
was,  she  could  only  show  her  teeth,  not  use  them, 
and  our  heels  had  been  just  long  enough  to  take  us 
into  cover.  The  men  cheered  and  laughed  as  the 

185 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

destroyer  fired  a  blank  shell,  and  then  altered  her 
course,  in  intimation  that  she  had  abandoned  the 
chase.  She  gave  us  the  courtesy  of  dipping  her  en 
sign,  a  politeness  that  we  were  unable  to  return  in 
kind,  seeing  that  everything  was  flush  with  the  deck. 
So  the  Baron  waved  his  handkerchief,  and  we  went  on 
our  way. 

Two  hours. later  and  I  stood  on  the  landing  quay 
at  Lisbon,  having  left  Crioche  in  charge  of  the  dis 
mantled  hull  of  the  once  beautiful  Sea  Fox.  Mrs. 
Verriker,  the  Baron,  and  du  Midi  had  gone  ashore 
with  me,  but  I  had  received  no  intimation  of  their 
intentions.  There  could  be  no  compulsion  now  ;  it 
was  for  every  one  to  do  what  was  right  in  his  or  her 
eyes. 

While  we  were  waiting  for  the  baggage  to  be  ex 
amined,  I  noticed  that  the  Baron  and  du  Midi  were 
engaged  in  earnest  conversation,  with  Mrs.  Verriker 
standing  by  in  silence.  Suddenly  the  Baron  turned 
to  her  and  said  a  few  words  of  interrogation.  Mrs. 
Verriker  nodded  a  quiet  assent,  and  du  Midi's  face 
changed  strangely.  He  spoke  to  her  himself,  and  it 
was  evident  that  she  was  reiterating  her  former 
statement.  Then  du  Midi  stepped  back,  while  the 
Baron  escorted  the  lady  to  a  carriage,  and  installed 
her  therein  with  ceremonious  politeness.  The  carriage 
rolled  away,  and  the  two  men  walked  over  to  where 
I  was  standing.  The  Chevalier  looked  strangely  agi 
tated;  he  put  out  his  hand,  and  I  took  it,  wondering 
what  had  happened. 

"I  have  just  come  to  a  realization  of  my  folly,"  he 
said,  with  passionate  quickness.  "  But  even  now  it 
may  not  be  too  late.  I  go  to  rejoin  General  Czareska 
by  the  first  train  out.  You  were  my  friend,  Gary, 
and  perhaps  you  will  judge  me  less  harshly  when  you 
know  all.  But  not  here — the  railway  station — here  is 

1 86 


A    STERN    CHASE 

an  empty  coach — in  with  you,  Nicholas,  for  God's 
sake!" 

I  turned  to  the  Baron.  "  And  you?"  I  said,  inquir 
ingly. 

"  I  will  take  the  box-seat,"  returned  that  gentleman 
as  he  mounted  nimbly  to  the  driver's  side. 


CHAPTER  XX 

THE    LADY    IN    BLACK 

JHE  Chevalier,  the  Baron,  and  myself  are 
seated  in  the  private  saloon  of  a  train 
denominated  express  by  courtesy,  and  we 
have  just  crossed  the  frontier  into  Spain. 
Fortunately,  we  had  not  lost  even  an 
hour  in  Lisbon,  for  the  regular  Eastern  Express  was 
waiting  at  the  station  when  we  drove  up  at  a  gallop 
from  the  landing  quay.  But  since  then  our  rate  of 
progress  has  been  exasperatingly  slow,  and  to-day  is 
the  4th  of  July.  At  this  rate  we  shall  not  be  in 
JEtolia.  before  that  fatal  tenth  day. 

The  Chevalier  has  made  a  clean  breast  of  the  whole 
perplexing  business,  and  I  know  now  what  I  have 
suspected  all  along  to  be  the  truth.  From  the  first 
the  boy  had  been  nothing  more  than  a  tool  in  the 
hands  of  that  rascally  pair,  Mrs.  Verriker  and  Mr. 
Coventry.  It  was  they  who  had  contrived  to  cast 
suspicion  upon  the  loyalty  and  good  faith  of  General 
Czareska,  and  little  by  little  the  young  man  had  yield 
ed  himself  completely  to  their  influence.  Hence  the 
incident  of  the  "  Cardinal's  Rose."  Coventry  had  per 
suaded  du  Midi  that  upon  the  possession  of  the  great 
jewel  depended  the  success  of  the  entire  movement. 
General  Czareska  was  holding  it  as  a  pretended  trust, 
and  in  the  mean  time  the  ^Etolian  revolution  was 
slowly  flickering  out  for  want  of  armament  and  funds. 

1 88 


THE    LADY    IN    BLACK 

The  ruby  was  the  family  property  of  du  Midi,  and 
surely  he  was  justified  in  taking  possession  of  his  own 
wherever  and  whenever  he  could.  The  manner  of  its 
reacquisition  was  of  no  consequence,  but  the  jewel 
must  be  obtained,  cost  what  it  may.  And  Coventry 
would  then  be  responsible  for  the  rest. 

Well,  we  knew  the  rest  already.  Of  course,  Coventry, 
as  the  confidential  agent  of  Jehan  and  of  Soulia,  had 
never  intended  that  the  patriot  war-chest  should  bene 
fit  from  the  affair  of  Dover  pier,  by  so  much  as  a  copper 
sou.  The  substitution  of  the  false  ruby  was  simply 
for  the  purpose  of  keeping  du  Midi  quiet,  while  Coven 
try,  with  the  real  stone  in  his  possession,  was  negoti 
ating  with  Baron  Kerker  for  a  Soulian  loan.  The 
"  Cardinal's  Rose  "  was  to  be  the  pledge,  and  only  our 
great  coup  in  taking  possession  of  the  Baron's  person 
had  prevented  the  transaction  from  going  through. 
It  was  certain  that  the  Baron's  money  was  still  in  his 
strong-box,  but  where  was  the  "  Cardinal's  Rose  ?" 
The  question  was  on  my  lips  a  dozen  times  as  du  Midi 
and  I  exchanged  notes  upon  the  several  parts  that 
we  had  taken  in  this  drama  of  intrigue,  but  somehow 
the  query  never  found  voice.  Doubtless  I  should 
know  in  good  time. 

Finally,  it  was  through  Mrs.Verriker  that  Coventry 
had  been  able  to  keep  in  such  close  touch  with  his 
dupe.  The  Chevalier  was  to  understand  that  all  their 
plans  would  be  ruined  unless  he  obeyed  instructions 
to  the  letter.  He  was  to  fall  in  with  the  General's 
wishes  in  order  to  avoid  suspicion,  but  he  must  always 
be  prepared  to  assert  his  independence  when  the  word 
came.  Consequently,  he  might  go  aboard  the  Sea  Fox 
with  the  Czareska  party,  but  he  was  not  to  leave  the 
yacht  without  direct  instructions  from  Coventry. 
And  of  course  those  instructions  would  never  come 
so  long  as  there  was  a  chance  that  the  patriot  cause 

189 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

might  be  strengthened  by  the  personal  presence  in 
the  field  of  the  young  prince,  their  rightful  lord.  No 
wonder  that  the  old  General  had  gone  away  in  despair 
to  lead  his  forlorn  hope.  Without  du  Midi  he  was 
worse  off  than  Jehan  deprived  of  the  pecuniary  sup 
port  of  the  Kerker  money-bags.  The  country-side 
would  not  rise,  and  all  would  be  over  upon  the  arrival 
of  the  commissioner  of  the  Powers  on  July  loth. 

It  seemed  incredible  that  Coventry  should  have 
been  able  to  get  du  Midi  so  completely  into  his  power, 
but  as  I  thought  it  over  I  could  make  allowances  for 
the  boy.  Coventry  was  a  gifted  and  charming  man, 
and  his  influence  upon  du  Midi  was  the  ascendency 
of  a  strong,  unscrupulous  nature  over  one  of  almost 
feminine  mould  and  of  a  singular  candor  and  gener 
osity.  The  Chevalier  had  trusted  Coventry  implicitly, 
and  it  was  his  nature,  having  once  given  his  confi 
dence,  to  carry  it  out  to  the  end.  Yes  ;  I  could  under 
stand  all  that,  but  how  to  account  for  du  Midi's  sudden 
return  to  sanity?  The  Baron  had  undoubtedly  in 
formed  him  of  Coventry's  double-dealing,  but  the  boy 
would  still  have  demanded  absolute  proof.  Had  that 
been  forthcoming  ?  I  looked  at  the  Baron  inquiringly. 

"  That  is  my  secret  for  the  present,"  he  answered, 
smilingly.  "  It  is  enough  that  our  young  friend  at 
last  knows  where  he  stands,  and  that  we  are  on  our 
way  to  ^tolia." 

';  Surely,  Baron,  you  don't  include  yourself  in  that 
'  we '  ?" 

"  I  am  still  on  my  well-earned  vacation,  and  if  I 
wish  to  take  a  little  jaunt  into  Central  Europe,  who 
is  there  to  object  ?" 

"  The  detectives,  perhaps.  Remember  that  you  are 
still  the  victim  of  an  outrageous  abduction,  and  half 
the  secret  police  of  Europe  are  anxiously  seeking 
fame  and  fortune." 

190 


THE    LADY    IN    BLACK 

"'  True,"  returned  the  Baron,  gravely,  "  and  I  shall 
accordingly  proceed  to  shave  off  my  beard." 

With  the  aid  of  a  safety-razor  the  Baron  succeeded 
in  changing  his  appearance  to  a  marked  degree,  and 
at  our  first  important  stopping-place  he  managed  to 
procure  a  red  wig  from  a  hair-dresser's  stock.  The 
metamorphosis  is  now  complete,  only  the  Baron  has 
rather  overdone  it,  and  his  extraordinary  get-up  is 
well  calculated  to  attract  the  very  attention  that  he 
is  presumably  anxious  to  avoid.  The  ill-fitting  suit  of 
dittos,  the  blue  spectacles,  the  red  wig — all  these  things 
fairly  scream  out  the  information  that  the  gentleman 
is  in  disguise.  However,  the  Baron  carries  it  off  with 
a  humorous  gravity,  and  I  really  think  that  he  has 
regarded  the  whole  affair  as  a  joke  from  the  begin 
ning,  and  that  he  proposes  to  extract  from  it  the  last 
possible  atom  of  mirth.  At  least,  I  am  well  assured 
of  his  good  faith  towards  our  party;  and  so  our  des 
perate  adventure  has  turned  out  successfully  after  all. 
Soulia  will  get  no  loan  from  Kerker  &  Company  until 
we  have  had  our  chance  at  King  Jehan's  throat.  This 
I  know. 

Rhodopolis  at  last !  after  fifty  hours  or  more  of 
jolting  over  those  abominable  Spanish  and  Italian 
railways,  and  with  innumerable  changes  of  cars. 
There  are  not  many  people  who  travel  regularly  be 
tween  Lisbon  and  Kar,  and  the  connections  are  con 
sequently  poor.  And,  besides,  we  were  obliged  to 
wait  over  for  two  whole  days  in  Madrid  on  account 
of  du  Midi.  He  was  suddenly  seized  with  a  succes 
sion  of  fainting-fits,  and  until  we  could  get  medical 
assistance  both  the  Baron  and  I  were  terribly  anxious 
about  him.  He  responded  quickly  to  the  treatment, 
but  the  physician  insisted  upon  those  two  days  of  ab 
solute  rest,  and,  indeed,  du  Midi  was  too  weak  to  lift 
his  head  from  the  pillow.  But  on  the  third  day  he 

191 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

got  his  strength  back,  and,  in  spite  of  the  doctor's 
remonstrances,  he  insisted  upon  going  on.  It  turned 
out  all  right,  for  there  has  been  no  return  of  the 
alarming  symptoms,  and,  as  I  have  written,  we  are 
in  Rhodopolis  at  last.  Here  is  the  real  beginning  of 
our  journey ;  we  are  in  the  heart  of  the  enemy's 
country — I  mean  Soulia — and  our  every  forward  step 
must  be  beset  with  perils  both  seen  and  unseen.  But 
what  would  you,  and  to-day  is  July  8th  ! 

Rhodopolis  is  the  most  important  railway  junction 
in  Soulia,  and  the  terminus  of  the  one  line  into  AZto- 
lia.  It  is  a  question,  though,  if  any  trains  are  running 
in  these  troublous  times.  Of  course,  we  have  been 
devouring  every  newspaper  that  we  could  obtain  en 
route,  and  they  have  given  a  fair  amount  of  attention 
to  the  ^Etolian  imbroglio.  In  brief,  this  is  how  the 
affair  stands : 

General  Ghika,  with  a  few  thousand  revolutionary 
troops,  is  at  Markana,  a  village  about  six  miles  dis 
tant  from  Kar,  the  capital.  Jehan  is  behind  the  walls 
at  Kar,  and  has  with  him  two  regiments  of  Soulian 
regulars  and  a  small  number  of  ^Etolian  militiamen, 
who  are  in  his  service  as  a  paid  body-guard,  the  latter 
a  poor  lot,  in  every  sense  of  the  word.  There  have 
been  a  few  skirmishes,  but  nothing  in  the  way  of  a 
decisive  engagement.  Jehan's  policy  is  to  wait,  and 
if  he  can  hold  out  for  two  or  three  days  longer  the 
commissioner  of  the  Powers  will  undoubtedly  decide 
in  his  favor.  He  has  only  to  preserve  the  status  quo 
and  he  must  win. 

The  patriots  might  even  now  carry  the  day  by  one 
swift  and  well-planned  stroke,  but  there  is  no  one  to 
order  it.  General  Ghika  is  incompetent,  Czareska's 
hands  are  tied,  and  the  young  Prince  is  absent  from 
the  head  of  his  battle-line.  The  country-side  has  not 
risen,  and  it  will  not  rise  until  it  is  assured  that  it  is, 

192 


THE    LADY    IN    BLACK 

indeed,  the  Agricola  who  calls  them.  The  king  must 
come  to  his  own  if  he  would  possess  it.  And  so  the 
balance  hangs  stationary,  and  to-day  is  the  8th  of  July. 

It  is  this  tardy  realization  of  his  error  that  made  our 
journey  so  intolerably  long  and  wearisome  to  poor  du 
Midi.  He  would  sit  by  the  hour,  motionless,  at  the 
carriage  window,  with  the  train-schedule  in  his  hand, 
and,  no  matter  how  long  a  time  there  might  be  to 
wait  at  the  several  connecting  points,  he  would  insist 
that  no  one  should  leave  the  station.  The  Baron  and 
I  grew  heartily  sick  of  the  tasteless  buffet  fare,  but 
we  appreciated  the  necessity  of  doing  nothing  that 
might  add  to  the  mental  excitement  under  which 
the  Chevalier  labored,  and  so  there  was  no  help  for 
our  suffering  stomachs.  Even  at  Milan,  where  we 
had  two  hours'  leeway,  and  might  have  dined  com 
fortably  at  the  Grand  Hotel,  we  were  obliged  to  con 
tent  ourselves  with  the  inevitable  cold  chicken  and  a 
handful  of  olives.  I  shall  never  care  for  chicken 
again,  and  my  painfully  acquired  taste  for  olives  is 
rapidly  leaving  me. 

There  was  still  another  disagreeable  recollection 
connected  with  Milan,  for  it  was  there  that  I  fell  under 
the  uncomfortable  impression  that  we  were  not  yet 
through  with  Mrs.  Verriker.  I  certainly  saw  her,  or 
some  one  who  resembles  her  remarkably,  on  the  plat 
form  of  the  railway  station.  It  was  only  a  momen 
tary  glimpse;  I  had  that  curious  feeling  of  being 
looked  over,  and  glanced  up  to  see  a  woman  dressed 
in  deep  mourning  just  stepping  into  a  forward  com 
partment  of  our  own  train.  Her  face  was  covered 
with  a  veil,  but  there  was  something  about  the  turn 
of  the  head  that  suggested  my  ancient  enemy.  The 
idea  rather  upset  me,  for  she  could  make  trouble 
enough  for  us  if  she  were  so  inclined.  Personal  vio 
lence  would  be  hardly  possible  even  in  half-civilized 
N  193 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

Soulia,  but  there  are  ways  and  ways,  and  it  would  be 
her  business  to  prevent  our  reaching  General  Czar- 
eska's  camp,  or  at  least  to  delay  us. 

At  one  of  the  way-stations  I  got  out  and  walked 
past  the  line  of  carriages,  hoping  to  get  another 
glimpse  of  the  "lady  in  black."  Still  I  could  not 
suppose  that  madame  would  let  herself  be  caught  so 
easily,  and  I  was  not  surprised  to  find  the  curtains  of 
one  first-class  compartment  closely  drawn.  That  in 
itself  went  to  confirm  my  suspicions,  for  there  was  no 
one  else  on  the  train  about  whose  identity  there  could 
be  any  question.  I  said  nothing  to  du  Midi,  but  I 
gave  the  Baron  a  hint  of  what  was  in  my  mind.  He 
smiled.  "  Perhaps  she  is  after  the  reward,"  he  said, 
grimly. 

Now,  as  we  had  learned  from  the  newspapers,  the 
Baron's  abduction  was  still  the  reigning  sensation  of 
Europe.  Kerker  &  Company  had  offered  a  reward 
of  one  hundred  thousand  francs  for  any  information 
that  might  lead  to  the  great  financier's  restoration  to 
his  sorrowing  partners,  and  there  were  supplement 
ary  bounties  for  the  apprehension  of  General  Czareska 
and  of  my  insignificant  self.  It  gave  me  a  queer 
little  thrill  to  read  the  description  of  my  person 
printed  out  in  full,  and  accurately,  too,  but  fortunately 
my  name  had  been  metamorphosed  into  Clare,  and  I 
hoped  that  the  mistake  would  at  least  have  the  effect 
of  sparing  my  few  remaining  relatives  some  natural 
mortification.  As  matters  stood,  our  party  would 
make  a  fine  haul  for  some  hard-working  detective, 
and  it  was  quite  probable  that  the  entire  secret  police 
of  Europe  were  eagerly  looking  out  for  us.  But,  after 
all,  I  might  have  been  mistaken  about  the  "lady  in 
black,"  and  little  by  little  the  incident  faded  from 
my  mind.  We  would  cross  that  bridge  when  we  came 
to  it. 

194 


THE    LADY    IN    BLACK 

We  had  reached  Rhodopolis  about  eight  o'clock  in 
the  morning,  and  of  course  our  first  anxiety  was  cen 
tred  upon  the  question  of  our  further  progress.  Was 
the  line  to  Kar  still  open  ? 

To  my  relief  the  official  answered  that  the  regular 
train  would  leave  as  usual  at  nine  o'clock.  It  was 
reported  that  the  insurgents  had  appeared  in  force 
at  Markana,  which  is  six  miles  from  the  railway,  but 
as  yet  they  had  made  no  effort  to  interrupt  railway 
communication.  Still,  the  danger  existed,  and  the 
company  could  not  insure  our  safe  arrival  at  Kar.  If 
we  took  passage  it  would  be  at  our  own  risk. 

It  is  needless  to  say  that  the  fear  of  being  held  up 
by  General  Ghika's  cavalry  did  not  trouble  us  much. 
Once  across  the  ^Etolian  frontier  and  we  could  do 
very  well  for  ourselves.  Our  plan  was  to  leave  the  train 
at  Nissa,  the  nearest  point  to  Markana,  but  it  would 
be  hardly  politic  to  intimate  our  intentions  to  the 
Soulian  officials.  So  I  told  Stephan  to  have  four 
passages  booked  through  to  Kar,  and,  if  possible,  to 
secure  us  a  compartment  in  an  empty  carriage.  He 
came  back  in  a  few  minutes  and  handed  me  my 
change  in  gold  and  notes. 

"  For  three  napoleons  they  have  promised  to  put 
on  a  saloon-carriage,  and  it  will  be  at  the  rear  end  of 
the  train.  Have  I  done  right  in  engaging  it,  Excel- 
lenza  ?" 

"  Perfectly,  Stephan.  I  would  have  given  ten  if 
necessary." 

"  I  learned  something  interesting,  Excellenza,"  he 
went  on.  "  The  train  is  to  take  up  a  large  sum  of 
money  for  the  payment  of  the  Soulian  troops  now  in 
Kar.  The  treasure  is  in  a  van  that  is  to  be  placed 
immediately  ahead  of  our  carriage,  and  it  is  to  be 
guarded  by  a  squad  of  regulars.  Ah,  now,  if  we  could 
but  give  our  General  a  hint  of  what  is  coming!" 

»9S 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

And,  indeed,  such  a  capture  would  be  a  glorious 
stroke  in  the  patriot  cause,  for  the  information  indi 
cated  plainly  that  King  Jehan's  mercenaries  must  be 
getting  uneasy.  The  pressure  must  have  been  pretty 
strong  to  have  squeezed  any  juice  from  the  Soulian 
orange,  and  it  would  be  worth  ten  times  its  nominal 
value  if  that  military  chest  never  reached  its  destina 
tion.  But  we  could  do  nothing  by  way  of  warning 
our  friends;  we  should  be  lucky  to  find  a  safe  de 
livery  for  our  own  valuable  persons. 

The  train  was  already  making  up,  and,  as  usual,  we 
did  not  leave  the  station.  The  Baron  cast  more  than 
one  longing  glance  at  a  comfortable-looking  restaurant 
across  the  way,  with  "  Cafd  de  Paris  "  in  big  gilt  let 
ters  on  its  sign-board,  but  it  was  too  late  in  the  day 
to  be  running  any  unnecessary  risks.  So  we  had  to 
patronize  the  station  buffet,  and  fill  ourselves  again 
with  the  loathy  cold  chicken  and  with  innumerable 
cups  of  scalding  hot  tea. 

The  meal,  such  as  it  was,  at  least  served  to  pass 
away  the  time,  and  the  station  clock  showed  that  it 
wanted  but  fifteen  minutes  to  the  hour  of  departure. 
The  train  was  standing  at  the  platform,  but  the  doors 
were  still  closed,  and  would  not  be  opened  until  five 
minutes  before  starting-time.  It  was  hot  and  stuffy 
in  the  refreshment-room,  and  a  couple  of  small  coins 
induced  the  doorman  to  let  us  out  on  the  platform. 
The  Chevalier  went  at  once  to  our  reserved  carriage, 
but  the  Baron  and  I  took  a  turn  or  two  in  order  to 
finish  our  cigarettes.  Suddenly  the  remembrance  of 
the  "  lady  in  black  "  came  back  upon  me.  If  it  really 
was  Mrs.  Verriker,  we  had  been  lucky  indeed  to 
have  escaped  without  receiving  some  token  of  her  ill- 
will,  and  I  said  as  much  to  my  companion. 

"  Don't  be  too  sure  that  we  are  through  with  her," 
he  answered,  coolly.  "  If  I  am  not  very  much  mis- 

196 


THE     LADY    IN    BLACK 

taken  she  is  standing  this  very  moment  at  the  win 
dow  of  the  booking  office." 

I  followed  the  direction  of  his  eyes  and  recognized 
the  "  lady  in  black  "  as  madame,  without  a  doubt. 
But  she  had  not  seen  us,  and  we  had  only  to  get  into 
our  carriage  and  draw  the  curtains.  Perhaps  an  ex 
cess  of  prudence,  but  we  could  not  afford  to  neglect 
the  smallest  precaution. 

The  doors  were  thrown  open  and  our  feilow-passen- 
gers  trooped  out.  It  was  a  picturesque  crowd  of  Scara 
mouches —  Bulgarians  and  Servians  in  their  national 
costumes,  poorly  uniformed  Soulian  soldiers,  peasant 
farmers,  red-faced  and  loaded  down  with  bundles,  and 
of  course  the  inevitable  commercial  traveller,  inevi 
tably  Jewish.  Most  of  these  people  would  leave  the 
train  at  the  several  Soulian  way-stations  at  which  the 
train  was  scheduled  to  stop,  but  the  journey  was  still 
an  event  of  the  first  magnitude  in  their  eyes,  and  the 
clamor  and  confusion  grew  with  every  passing  mo 
ment.  In  my  curiosity  I  thrust  my  head  out  of  the 
carriage-window.  Provoking !  for  at  that  instant 
Mrs.  Verriker  passed  down  the  platform  and  our  eyes 
met.  She  favored  me  with  an  enigmatic  smile,  and 
quietly  disappeared  into  the  crowd.  I  was  vexed  at 
my  imprudence,  but  when,  five  minutes  later,  the 
train  pulled  out  of  the  station,  it  did  not  appear  that 
any  harm  had  been  done.  No  one  had  attempted  to 
interfere  with  us,  and  we  were  safely  out  of  Rho- 
dopolis  and  on  the  road  to  yEtolia.  In  a  few  hours 
we  should  be  across  the  line  and  among  our  friends. 
It  was  odd  that  Mrs.  Verriker  should  have  followed 
so  closely  upon  our  track,  but  of  course  she  must  be 
going  through  to  Kar  to  rejoin  Coventry.  What 
could  be  the  bond  that  united  these  two  ? 

The  train  proceeded  at  a  fair  rate  of  speed  for  a 
Continental  Express,  and  according  to  the  time-card 

197 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

we  should  be  due  at  Mitkoff,  the  last  station  in  Sou- 
lian  territory,  about  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon. 
From  there  it  was  a  run  of  fifty  miles  to  Nissa,  where 
we  were  to  leave  the  train.  Slowly  the  hours  wore 
away,  but  every  turn  of  the  wheels  was  in  our  favor, 
and  even  du  Midi's  spirits  rose  as  the  train  began  to 
wind  its  way  up  from  the  level  plains  of  North  Soulia 
to  the  broken  and  elevated  regions  delimitating  the 
^Etolian  plateau.  In  a  little  time  now  and  we  should 
be  doing  again  ;  the  passive  verb  is  properly  enough 
associated  with  the  idea  of  suffering,  and  nothing 
wearies  like  inaction. 

Mitkoff  is  a  large  town  for  Soulia,  but  we  should 
stop  only  long  enough  to  change  engines.  So  the 
guard  informed  us,  and  the  Baron,  who  was  hungry 
again,  felt  inclined  to  grumble.  There  had  been  no 
chance  for  anything  excepting  a  cup  of  tea  and  some 
fruit  since  we  left  Rhodopolis,  and  we  should  have 
been  glad  enough  for  a  fair  chance  at  the  despised 
fare  of  the  railway  eating-house.  But  it  was  not  to 
be,  and  consequently  the  Baron  grumbled. 

"  You  will  have  time  to  snatch  up  a  chicken  sand 
wich  and  a  handful  of  olives  at  the  buffet,"  I  suggested, 
maliciously,  and  the  Baron  actually  went  into  a  fit  of 
the  sulks  and  declined  to  speak  to  anybody. 

But  when  we  had  pulled  into  the  station  at  Mit 
koff  he  determined  with  a  sigh  to  try  his  luck  after 
all.  "Perhaps  they  may  have  sausages,"  he  said,  more 
hopefully,  as  he  plunged  into  the  crowd  around  the 
copper  samovars. 

The  fresh  engine  had  been  coupled  on,  and  the 
guards  were  requesting  the  passengers  to  resume 
their  places.  Where  was  the  Baron  ?  Ah,  there  he 
comes,  and  with  a  smoking  frankfurter  in  each  hand  ; 
this  is  luck  indeed  ! 

"  Hurry  up  !"  I  called,  and  then  noticed  for  the 
198 


THE    LADY    IN    BLACK 

first  time  the  stout  man  in  a  tweed  suit.  He  was 
blocking  the  Baron's  way,  with  great  deference,  it  is 
true,  but  none  the  less  effectually. 

"The  Baron  Kerker  ?"  he  inquired,  politely.  "An 
honor,  indeed,  gracious  sir.  This  way,  Volkmar,"  and 
two  other  men  in  plain  clothes  came  up  from  behind 
and  took  their  stations  on  either  side  of  the  financier. 

The  Baron  understood,  and  so  did  I.  Under  the 
stimulus  of  a  reward  of  one  hundred  thousand  francs 
these  intelligent  gentlemen  had  taken  it  upon  them 
selves  to  rescue  the  kidnapped  king  of  the  Bourse 
from  his  humiliating  captivity.  It  was  of  no  use  to 
make  denial — they  knew  the  Baron,  and  they  also 
knew  their  business.  With  entire  respect,  but  with 
irresistible  force,  the  three  detectives  began  to  edge 
their  prisoner  little  by  little  out  of  the  crowd  and 
away  from  the  train.  But  the  Baron  was  not  to  be 
taken  without  a  struggle,  and,  recovering  from  his 
first  surprise,  he  shook  himself  free  and  jumped  for 
ward.  The  stout  man  received  the  shock  obsequi 
ously,  and  at  the  same  time  contrived  to  turn  the 
Baron  off  at  nearly  a  right  angle  to  his  projected 
course.  It  was  excellent  "  interference,"  but  I  too 
knew  something  of  that  trick  from  those  old-time 
Thanksgiving  Days  on  Manhattan  Field.  In  an  in 
stant  I  had  jumped  behind  the  Baron  and  had  clasped 
him  about  the  waist.  There  was  a  crash,  and  the 
stout  man  went  down,  while  the  man  on  the  right 
fell  back,  disabled  for  the  moment  by  that  sharp  jab 
with  the  elbow  point  that  is  so  effective  in  blocking 
off  a  too  eager  opponent.  We  were  all  but  clear,  with 
the  door  of  our  carriage  before  us.  I  jumped  aside 
and  wrenched  it  open. 

"  In  with  you,  Baron,"  I  cried,  for  already  the  train 
was  moving. 

The  third  man  was  close  up.  He  forgot  himself 
199 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

so  far  as  to  place  a  detaining  hand  upon  the  Baron's 
coat-sleeve. 

"But,  monsieur — "  he  began. 

"  My  compliments,"  roared  the  Baron,  and  hit 
straight  out  from  the  shoulder.  The  secret-service 
philanthropist  fell  into  a  disorganized  heap,  and  Ste- 
phan  and  I  pulled  the  Baron  on  to  the  foot -board  as 
the  train  rolled  out  of  the  station. 

"  The  scoundrel !"  panted  the  Baron.  "  Tried  to 
deprive  me  of  my  vacation,  did  he,  and  expecting  me 
to  pay  for  the  damage  done?  When  I  am  ready  to 
go  back  to  Kerker  &  Company  I  shall  rescue  myself 
and  claim  the  reward 'of  my  partners.  Have"  a  frank 
furter?" 

Of  course  it  had  been  Madame  Verriker  who  had 
prepared  this  agreeable  interlude  for  us,  by  means 
of  a  telegram  from  Rhodopolis  to  the  police  depart 
ment  of  Mitkoff.  She  could  hardly  hope  to  detain 
either  du  Midi  or  myself  by  this  sham  rescue  of  the 
Baron's  person,  and  certainly  it  was  too  late  in  the 
day  to  expect  that  he  would  fulfil  that  old  financial 
agreement.  Probably  her  idea  had  been  simply  to 
punish  the  Baron  for  the  part  he  had  taken  in  thwart 
ing  her  plans.  If  the  Baron  had  been  rescued  the  re 
ward  of  a  hundred  thousand  francs  would  have  to  be 
paid,  and  it  would  cost  the  Baron,  as  senior  part 
ner,  a  large  proportion  of  the  whole.  No  wonder 
that  the  financier  had  prayed  to  be  delivered  from 
his  friends. 

"  A  word  with  you,  Excellenza,"  said  Stephan,  at 
my  elbow. 

"Well?" 

"  A  despatch  has  just  been  received,  saying  that 
the  revolutionists  were  advancing  towards  the  rail 
way.  I  overheard  the  commander  of  the  soldiers 
talking  with  the  guard  ahead  there." 

200 


THE    LADY    IN    BLACK 

Action  at  last !  This  was  good  news ;  our  friends 
would  be  coming  to  meet  us. 

"And  so  the  train  will  run  through  to  Kar  without 
making  any  stops.  The  orders  are  to  pass  the  dan 
gerous  point  at  Nissa  at  full-speed." 

Indeed !  But  this  was  not  so  pleasant.  If  the 
Nissa  stop  was  to  be  cut  out,  how  were  we  to  leave 
the  train?  Must  we  remain  quietly  shut  up  in  our 
compartment  until  we  were  within  the  walls  of  Kar, 
and  delivered  like  so  many  valuable  express  packages 
to  Jehan  and  Captain  Coventry  ?  We  looked  at  each 
other  in  dismay. 


CHAPTER    XXI 

THE    "  RED    COCK  "    CROWS 

is  a  resolute  fellow,  and  his 
clever  plan  seems  feasible.  Just  beyond 
Nissa  there  is  a  heavy  up-grade  of  a  mile 
or  more,  ending  with  a  tunnel  through 
the  summit  of  the  ridge.  After  the 
train  has  entered  the  tunnel  he  proposes  to  step  out 
upon  the  foot-board  and  cut  loose  our  carriage,  which, 
as  you  will  remember,  is  attached  at  the  end  of  the 
train.  We  shall  be  carried  back  by  the  force  of  grav 
ity  to  Nissa  and  to  our  friends,  while  the  rest  of  the 
train  goes  on  to  Kar. 

"You  are  sure  that  you  can  cut  out  the  connec 
tions?"  I  inquired. 

"  Perfectly,  Excellenza.  I  worked  when  a  boy  for 
two  years  in  the  machine-shops  at  Mitkoff." 

"  But  we  shall  be  smashed  to  pieces  running  back 
ward  down  that  steep  grade." 

"There  is  a  braking-wheel  on  this  coach,  Excel 
lenza." 

Really  there  is  no  reason  why  we  should  not  make 
the  attempt.  The  tunnel  makes  the  success  of  the 
ruse  almost  certain,  for  in  the  darkness  the  loss  of 
the  carriage  will  not  be  noticed  at  first,  and  the  down 
grade  will  be  responsible  for  the  rest.  And  so  it  is 
decided. 

Three  o'clock,  and,  as  Stephan  had  predicted,  we 
202 


THE    "RED    COCK"    CROWS 

are  passing  the  straggling  little  village  of  Nissa  at 
express  speed.  We  looked  eagerly  out  of  the  win 
dows  for  any  sign  of  the  revolutionary  forces.  As  I 
live  !  there  is  the  flutter  of  a  black  and  orange  guidon 
far  down  the  dusty  road.  It  must  be  the  advance 
guard  of  General  Ghika's  cavalry.  Fifteen  minutes 
later  and  we  should  have  found  the  railway  line  in 
their  possession. 

Upon  reflection,  though,  I  am  inclined  to  think 
that  matters  are  better  as  they  are.  Our  engineer, 
on  rinding  the  line  obstructed  or  torn  up,  would  cer 
tainly  have  come  to  a  stop  at  a  respectful  distance, 
and  then  have  backed  his  train  the  four  or  five  miles 
into  Soulian  territory.  As  it  is,  we  have  only  to  con 
sider  the  contingency  of  Stephan's  falling  off  the 
foot-board  or  between  the  buffers. 

The  speed  slackened  as  the  train  struck  the  heavy 
up-grade,  but  we  were  still  going  too  fast  to  run  the 
risk  of  a  broken  leg  by  jumping.  Patience  !  and  we 
should  soon  be  making  our  entrance  into  ^Etolian 
company  comfortably  seated  in  our  private  car  and 
with  the  dignity  becoming  our  importance. 

The  darkness  of  the  tunnel  fell  like  a  curtain 
across  the  windows,  and  Stephan  swung  out  upon 
the  foot-board.  Two,  three  minutes,  and  then  I  felt 
that  our  car  was  gradually  slowing  down.  Now  we 
had  come  to  a  stand-still — we  were  beginning  to  move 
backward.  Daylight  again,  and  Stephan,  black  with 
dust  and  smoke,  runs  quickly  along  the  foot-board 
and  mans  the  brake  on  the  rear  of  our  carriage. 
Brave  boy  !  He  has  done  the  trick  with  consum 
mate  neatness.  The  carriage  rushes  down  the  in 
cline,  rocking  from  side  to  side. 

Ping! 

It  was  the  unmistakable  sound  of  a  modern  mili 
tary  rifle.  Again  it  came,  and  yet  again.  But  who 

203 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

could  be  firing  the  shots,  and  whence  did  they 
come  ?  A  perfect  fusillade  this  time,  and  now  it  was 
certain  that  the  firing  proceeded  from  a  point  di 
rectly  behind  our  carriage,  bearing  in  mind  that  we 
were  now  running  in  the  contrary  direction. 

The  Baron  smiled  knowingly. 

"  What  is  it.  Baron  ?" 

"Why,  I  ventured  to  make  an  amendment  to 
Stephan's  plan.  I  suggested  it  to  him  just  before 
we  entered  the  tunnel,  and  it  seems  that  he  accepted 
the  hint." 

Crash  ! 

It  was  regular  volley-firing,  and  du  Midi  and  I  in 
voluntarily  jumped  up  and  stood  ducking  our  heads 
absurdly.  The  Baron,  on  the  contrary,  proceeded  to 
stretch  himself  at  full  length  on  the  floor.  "  They 
may  possibly  take  a  fancy  to  throw  some  lead  in  this 
direction,"  he  said,  calmly,  "but  it  is  not  likely.  The 
Soulian  regular  is  an  unimaginative  animal." 

"  Kindly  explain,  dear  Baron." 

"  Nothing,  except  that  it  was  just  as  easy  to  cut 
out  two  carriages  as  one,  and  the  van  immediately 
ahead  of  ours  contains  the  treasure-chest." 

"And  also  the  guard  of  soldiers,"  I  retorted.  "It's 
something  like  carrying  off  a  bee's  nest,  isn't  it  ?" 

"  Well,  there's  nothing  like  honey,"  replied  the 
Baron. 

It  was  indeed  a  brilliant  stroke,  and  as  a  matter  of 
fact  we  ran  but  a  small  extra  risk.  The  soldiers 
had,  of  course,  discovered  that  something  must  be 
wrong,  but  they  were  securely  locked  up  in  their 
van,  and  were  stolidly  contenting  themselves  with 
file-firing  through  the  windows.  There  was  neither 
sense  nor  argument  in  this  sort  of  rejoinder,  but  the 
Soulian  soldier  was  doing  his  duty  according  to  his 
lights,  and  it  was  not  our  ammunition  that  he  was 

204 


THE    "RED    COCK"   CROWS 

wasting.  Let  him  bang  away  so  long  as  it  may  seem 
good  to  him. 

A  crowd  of  wild-looking  horsemen  were  galloping 
up  and  down  the  one  street  of  Nissa  as  Stephan 
brought  our  "  special  "  to  a  stop.  Evidently  they 
looked  upon  our  arrival  with  suspicion,  as  well  they 
might.  What  devil's  train  was  this  that  had  come 
out  of  the  enemy's  country,  with  no  visible  means  of 
propulsion  and  towing  that  thundering  volcano  of  a 
treasure-van?  Some  new  and  terrible  engine  of  war 
fare,  without  a  doubt.  "  To  arms,  brothers !" 

The  revolutionaries  rallied  nobly,  and  now  a  shower 
of  bullets  spattered  spitefully  around  us.  Luckily 
our  patriotic  friends  were  firing  too  high,  but  the 
situation  was  an  uncomfortable  one.  Stephan  was 
doing  his  best  to  enlighten  his  fellow-countrymen  as 
to  our  identity,  but  in  the  noise  and  confusion  his 
shouts  and  gesticulations  passed  unheeded.  Then  I 
remembered  that  I  had  a  small  ^Etolian  flag  in  my 
hand-bag.  I  routed  it  out  and  gave  it  to  Stephan.  He 
waved  it  vigorously,  and  the  firing  stopped.  An  officer 
rode  up  cautiously  and  prepared  to  investigate.  The 
Soulian  soldiers  in  the  treasure -van  were  still  dis 
charging  volleys  with  monotonous  regularity,  but  the 
direction  of  their  fire  was  never  altered,  and  it  was 
consequently  possible  to  approach  our  end  without 
danger.  A  few  words  of  explanation  from  Stephan 
and  the  officer  appeared  at  the  door  of  our  saloon- 
carriage  cap  in  hand. 

"The  gentlemen  expected  by  the  General?"  he 
said,  inquiringly,  in  good  French. 

I  managed  in  a  few  words  to  make  the  situation 
fairly  comprehensible,  and  the  young  officer  laughed 
heartily  and  invited  us  to  descend. 

"  General  Ghika  is  with  the  main  body,  and  should 
be  here  within  the  hour,"  he  went  on.  "  You  had 

205 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

better  remain  with  me,  gentlemen,  but,  in  the  mean 
time,  what  are  we  to  do  with  the  moving  fort  that  you 
have  brought  along  with  you.  Peste  !  My  ear-drums 
are  cracking  already,  and  they  have  turned  the  rail 
way  station  into  a  perfect  sieve.  I  was  instructed  to 
have  it  put  in  order  for  the  General's  headquarters." 

"  Uncouple  the  van  and  have  it  pushed  up  the  track 
for  a  hundred  yards  or  so,"  suggested  the  Baron. 
"Then  the  'yellow -legs'  can  use  up  their  cartridge- 
belts  without  annoying  any  one,  and  after  that  you 
can  bag  them  at  your  leisure." 

Captain  Narbo,  who  is,  by-the-way,  a  graduate  of 
Saint  Cyr,  and  a  fine  specimen  of  the  ^Etolian  gentle 
class,  agrees  to  the  proposition.  With  Stephan's  as 
sistance  the  van  is  uncoupled,  and  a  score  of  strong 
arms  manage  to  get  it  in  motion  and  finally  shunted 
off  on  a  side-track  above  the  water-tank.  As  the 
Soulians  are  locked  up  in  their  fortress,  it  is  impossi 
ble  for  them  to  escape  or  to  carry  off  the  treasure, 
and  after  the  bees  have  spent  their  stings,  it  will  be 
an  easy  task  to  take  possession  of  the  honey.  The 
"yellow-legs"  must  be  thoroughly  disturbed  in  mind 
by  this  time,  but  they  stick  like  wax  to  their  self-im 
posed  job  of  file-firing,  and  may  be  supposed  to  be 
sustained  by  the  consciousness  that  they  are  perform 
ing  their  duty. 

"  In  the  morning,"  remarks  the  Baron,  "  we  can 
begin  to  pay  off  our  brave  men.  May  I  be  permitted 
to  offer  my  services  in  a  clerical  capacity,"  he  adds, 
modestly.  And  forthwith  the  Baron  Kerker  is  com 
missioned  Paymaster-General  of  the  ^Etolian  army, 
and  authorized  to  open  his  ledger  with  the  contents 
of  the  Soulian  treasure-chest — when  he  gets  it. 

Captain  Narbo  has  been  ordered  to  destroy  the 
railway  line,  and  his  men  are  at  work  tearing  up  the 
metals.  I  suggest  that  the  rails  may  be  made  per- 

206 


THE   "RED    COCK"    CROWS 

manently  useless  by  roasting  them  over  fires  built  of 
the  wooden  sleepers.  The  heat  will  twist  and  warp 
the  iron  out  of  shape,  so  that  it  cannot  be  relaid. 
It  will  be  a  severe  blow  to  Jehan  to  cut  off  any 
further  communication  with  his  Soulian  friends,  and 
I  am  surprised  that  this  obvious  strategic  measure 
was  not  adopted  long  ago.  And  then  I  remember  how 
General  Czareska's  hands  have  been  tied.  General 
Ghika,  although  a  good  fighter,  knows  but  little  of  the 
art  of  war,  and  so  there  has  been  mismanagement 
everywhere,  and  the  discouragement  of  impending 
defeat  hangs  over  all.  A  desperate  situation — and 
are  we  in  time  to  save  it  ? 

The  advance-guard  of  the  main  body  are  beginning 
to  come  in,  and  the  preparations  for  the  bivouac  make 
up  a  lively  scene.  Odd-looking  soldiers,  these  poorly 
dressed  peasants,  their  obsolete  fire-arms  eked  out 
with  scythes  and  bill-hooks.  But  they  are  a  wiry  lot  of 
men,  and  even  though  they  may  be  undisciplined  and 
poorly  equipped,  the  enemy  is  not  much  better  off. 
Moreover,  I  doubt  if  Jehan's  mercenaries  will  fight  as 
determinedly  as  these  patriots,  burning  to  free  their 
necks  from  the  Soulian  yoke,  and  soon  to  be  inspired 
by  the  sight  of  their  true  and  lawful  sovereign  at 
their  head.  It  will  be  mediaeval  rather  than  modern 
warfare — a  little  drama  of  the  Middle  Ages  to  be 
played  to  the  death  upon  this  picturesque  ^Etolian 
stage.  It  should  be  an  interesting  performance,  and 
I  am  proud  of  being  included  in  the  cast. 

We  have  seen  and  talked  with  General  Ghika,  and 
the  situation  is  beginning  to  clear  up.  He  has  but 
four  or  five  thousand  men  with  him,  but  they  are  all 
veterans,  and  the  presence  of  Prince  Infelix  has  put 
new  hope  into  every  heart.  "We  shall  win  !  We  shall 
win  !"  is  heard  on  every  side,  and  the  tide  of  patriot 
ism  is  rising  fast.  Already  signal-fires  are  blazing 

207 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

on  the  mountain-peaks,  and  mounted  messengers  are 
spurring  in  every  direction.  By  to-morrow  we  shall 
have  ten  thousand  men  to  fill  up  our  scanty  ranks. 
None  too  soon,  seeing  that  to-morrow  is  July  gth. 

General  Czareska  and  mademoiselle  are  not  with 
the  army,  but  are  occupying  their  own  chateau  of 
Saint  Ilo,  a  scant  league  from  the  walls  of  Kar.  It 
seems  that  the  General  has  been  unwell  for  the  past 
few  days,  and  it  was  thought  best  to  keep  him  out  of 
the  saddle.  At  his  own  house  he  can  be  made  more 
comfortable  than  anywhere  else,  and  mademoiselle  is 
of  course  taking  care  of  him. 

"  But  the  position  is  an  exposed  one,"  said  du  Midi, 
frowning. 

"  Perhaps  not  so  much  as  your  Highness  thinks," 
returned  General  Ghika,  with  easy  assurance.  "  Our 
scouts  have  informed  us  that  Jehan  has  withdrawn 
all  his  forces  behind  the  city  gates.  The  country-side 
is  as  bare  as  an  egg." 

"  What  force  is  there  at  the  chateau  ?"  I  inquired. 

The  General  had  to  admit  that  it  was  only  a  small 
detachment  of  infantry — a  mere  guard  of  honor.  But 
what  could  happen  ?  The  enemy,  as  he  had  said,  had 
shown  no  disposition  for  offensive  campaign.  They 
were  safe  behind  the  walls  of  Kar,  and  they  had  only 
to  wait  patiently  for  their  deliverance  to  come  to 
them. 

"  How  far  is  it  to  the  chateau  ?"  demanded  du 
Midi. 

"  Ten  miles,  your  Highness,  and  a  rough  road." 

"  Mr.  Gary  and  I  will  spend  the  night  there,  and 
you  will  detail  a  troop  of  cavalry  as  our  escort.  And 
now,  General,  for  a  soldier's  supper  !" 

General  Ghika  is  probably  quite  right  in  asserting 
that  our  friends  are  safely  housed  within  the  thick 
stone  walls  of  the  Chateau  Saint  Ilo,  but  I  am  glad, 

208 


i  DREW  REIN,  ALONE" 


THE    "RED    COCK"    CROWS 

icvertheless,  that  we  are  to  rejoin  them  at  once,  and  I 
:an  understand  du  Midi's  impatience  to  redeem  him- 
iclf  in  the  eyes  of  General  Czareska — and  perhaps  in 
:hose  of  his  daughter.  The  thought  gives  me  a  keen 
ittle  stab  of  pain,  and  I  crush  it  down  as  best  I  may. 
shall  I  never  come  to  the  end  of  the  dark  passage  in 
vhich  I  have  been  wandering  so  long?  I  only  know 
hat  where  Irma  is,  there  must  be  the  light;  and  so  I 
itumble  on,  guided  by  the  feeble  glimmer  that  from 
ime  to  time  is  vouchsafed  me. 

It  was  long  after  midnight  before  we  were  finally  in 
he  saddle,  and,  as  General  Ghika  had  informed  us,  the 
oad  was  anything  but  smooth.  The  night,  too,  was 
ntensely  dark,  and,  until  I  learned  to  let  my  horse 
)ick  his  own  way,  my  steed  and  I  were  very  far  from 
>eing  one.  Naturally  the  intelligent  quadruped  ob- 
ected  to  being  forced  into  ditches  and  gully-holes, 
md  as  his  protests  generally  culminated  in  an  abrupt 
toppage,  with  his  forelegs  planted  widely  apart,  I 
pent  most  of  the  first  quarter  of  an  hour  uncomfort- 
.bly  spread-eagled  upon  his  neck.  After  that  I  gave 
lim  his  head  and  we  got  along  better. 

It  must  have  been  about  half  after  two  when  we 
;ntered  a  deep  defile,  the  crags  on  either  side  omi- 
lously  overhanging  our  path.  And  the  darkness!  I 
:ould  not  even  see  my  horse's  ears. 

"Courage !"  called  back  Narbo,  for  the  young  cap- 
ain  commanded  our  party  in  person.  "  The  next 
urn  and  we  shall  be  out  in  the  open,  and  a  scant 
nile  away  from  the  castle  walls.  If  it  were  moonlight 
ire  should  be  able  to  see  the  chateau." 

"And  there  comes  'Old  Oliver,'"  I  answer,  cheer- 
ully,  as  we  swing  around  a  shoulder  of  the  hills.  A 
ullen  glare  hangs  low  on  the  horizon  ;  the  moon  of 
srar  is  rising  blood-red. 

"  The  moon  !  and  in  the  west  !"  mutters  Stephan. 
o  209 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

And  then  we  all  spur  madly  forward  as  a  great 
sheaf  of  sparks  stands  out  upon  the  midnight  sky. 
The  "  red  cock  "  is  crowing  from  the  ridge-pole  of  the 
Chateau  Czareska. 

My  horse  is  the  best  animal  in  the  whole  cavalcade, 
and  I  draw  rein  alone  before  the  great  gates  of  the 
castle.  They  stand  ajar,  and  pinned  by  a  poniard- 
point  to  one  of  the  heavy  oaken  planks  is  something 
small  and  white,  and  oblong  in  shape — a  man's  visit 
ing-card.  It  reads,  in  the  fashionable  block  type : 

"MAJOR  ARTHUR  COVENTRY, 

"IMPERIAL  SOULIAN  ENGINEERS,  JETOLIAN  CONTINGENT." 

and  underneath,  in  pencil,  are  scrawled  the  initials 
"  P.  P  C." 


CHAPTER  XXII 

THROUGH  THE  DRAGON  GATE 


,  the  aged  major-domo,  came  to 
meet  us  as  we  rode  into  the  court-yard 
of  the  chateau.  By  some  miracle  he  had 
escaped  the  notice  of  the  Soulian  butchers; 
he  alone  remained  of  the  garrison  and  of 
the  household.  It  had  been  a  clean  sweep,  and  the 
story  was  soon  told. 

The  Soulian  attack  had  been  made  during  the  early 
evening,  and  the  surprise  had  been  a  complete  one. 
Within  ten  minutes  the  defenders  lay  dead  at  their 
posts  or  had  sought  refuge  in  flight.  The  Soulian 
leader  had  restrained  his  men  from  unnecessary  vio 
lence,  but  had  made  the  General  and  mademoiselle 
prisoners  of  war,  and  carried  them  away  with  him, 
presumably  to  Kar.  As  for  the  fire,  that  had  probably 
been  started  by  one  of  the  soldiers,  angered  at  the 
prohibition  against  plundering.  He  had  evidently 
stolen  unobserved  into  the  dismantled  east  wing  and 
ignited  the  forage  stored  there.  The  fire  had  only 
broken  out  within  the  last  few  minutes,  and  praise  be 
to  God!  it  was  still  confined  to  the  east  wing,  and  the 
rain  was  coming.  This,  Dimitri's  story. 

The  deluge  was  almost  inconceivable,  but  it  did  us 
the  friendly  office  of  extinguishing  the  flames.  Ste- 
phan  started  back  to  Nissa  with  peremptory  orders 
for  Ghika  to  advance  at  the  first  streak  of  dawn,  and 

211 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

du  Midi  and  I,  throwing  ourselves  down  on  the  bear 
skin  rugs  in  the  great  hall,  slept  like  dead  men. 

It  was  seven  o'clock  when  Narbo  touched  me  on  the 
shoulder.  General  Ghika  and  the  Baron  had  arrived  in 
person,  and  the  army  was  on  the  move.  Breakfast 
was  soon  ready,  and  we  gathered  around  it  to  discuss 
and  mature  our  plans.  We  must  think  and  act 
quickly,  for  to-day  is  the  pth  of  July. 

Having  summed  up  the  chances  pro  and  con,  it  seems 
that  but  two  courses  of  action  are  open  to  us.  We  can 
either  stand  off  at  long  range  and  batter  the  walls  of 
Kar  into  dust  with  our  one  piece  of  artillery,  the  ter 
rible  dynamite-gun,  or  we  can  carry  the  city  by  as 
sault  in  the  good  old  way.  Odd  that  the  modern  and 
the  mediaeval  should  be  so  closely  associated  in  our 
little  company.  We  have  but  one  piece  of  artillery, 
but  that  one  is  the  dynamite-gun,  the  last  word  in 
warfare.  And  our  rank  and  file  are  armed  with  bush- 
hooks  and  with  home-made  pikes. 

Now  while  the  dynamite-gun  is  an  enormously 
effective  weapon,  it  is  equally  terrifying  in  its  uncer 
tainty.  It  may  work  perfectly,  and  in  that  case  we 
may  expect  to  see  the  white  flag  run  up  within  fifteen 
minutes  after  the  first  shot.  And  again,  a  shell  may 
get  jammed  in  the  tube  and  the  monster  become  ten 
times  more  dangerous  to  its  masters  than  to  the  ene 
my.  Finally,  it  is  twenty  miles  to  the  rear,  and  the 
storm  has  made  the  roads  virtually  impassable.  It 
will  be  good  fortune  and  good  management  if  the  gun 
can  be  placed  in  position  before  to-morrow  morning. 
And  to-morrow  is  the  xoth  of  July.  The  dynamite- 
gun  is  our  best  card,  but  we  must  face  the  contin 
gency  of  not  being  able  to  play  it. 

There  remains,  then,  the  question  of  assault,  a  for 
lorn  hope,  perhaps,  and  yet  to  be  considered  carefully. 
We  have  plenty  of  scaling-ladders,  and,  from  all  that 

212 


THROUGH  THE  DRAGON  GATE 

we  can  learn,  the  artillery  defences  of  the  city  are  of 
an  obsolete  and  useless  pattern.  It  will  be  a  hand- 
to-hand  struggle,  but  we  shall  outnumber  the  defend 
ers  ten  to  one,  and  the  very  audacity  of  the  move 
may  assure  its  success.  Obviously  though  it  will  be 
necessary  to  obtain  more  complete  information  about 
the  nature  of  the  defences.  The  weak  points,  if  there 
be  any,  can  only  be  noted  from  the  inside. 

Du  Midi — for  I  never  can  remember  to  think  of  him 
as  the  Prince — has  given  me  permission  to  make  the 
attempt.  It  is  now  nearly  noon,  and  there  are  no 
signs  of  the  main  body  marching  up  from  Nissa.  It 
is  plain  that  the  final  assault  must  be  postponed  until 
to-morrow  morning,  and  in  the  mean  time  I  shall  be 
gathering  useful  information,  and  perhaps  have  the 
chance  of  opening  communication  with  mademoiselle. 
With  my  face  stained  with  walnut-juice,  and  dressed 
in  Soulian  regimentals,  I  run  but  small  risk  of  being 
suspected.  As  to  my  lingual  deficiencies,  I  will  cut 
the  knot  by  pretending  to  be  a  deaf  mute.  Among 
the  disorganized  mob  that  constitutes  the  garrison 
of  Kar  one  soldier  more  or  less  is  as  nothing,  and  the 
only  real  danger  is  in  coming  into  contact  with  the 
two  persons  who  know  me — Mrs.  Verriker  and  Cov 
entry. 

An  hour  later  I  had  made  my  way  to  the  borders  of 
the  little  plateau,  from  which  the  road  lies  clear  to  the 
city  gate.  It  would  hardly  do  to  step  out  boldly  into 
the  open  and  seek  admittance  to  the  city  as  a  straggler 
from  Coventry's  raid  of  the  night  before.  In  such 
case  the  scrutiny  would  probably  be  more  than  I  could 
safely  bear.  I  had  hoped  for  the  opportunity  of  a 
diversion,  under  cover  of  which  I  might  slip  through 
the  toils  ;  and  fortune  again  favored  me.  A  troop  of 
Soulian  dismounted  cavalrymen  were  cutting  forage 
in  a  hay-field  bordering  on  the  wood  in  which  I  lay 

213 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

concealed.  I  had  only  to  give  the  word  to  Captain 
Narbo,  who  with  his  ^Etolian  irregular  cavalry  was 
waiting  half  a  mile  to  the  rear. 

It  was  hardly  a  skirmish  even,  for  the  Soulians  had 
no  stomach  for  a  fight.  As  Narbo's  gallant  little 
force  broke  cover  and  charged,  the  enemy  hastily 
retired  towards  the  city,  leaving  the  laden  forage 
mules  to  break  away  in  all  directions.  I  had  made 
good  use  of  my  legs,  sure  that  every  eye  would  be 
otherwise  occupied  than  in  watching  my  insignificant 
self,  and  I  found  no  difficulty  in  mingling  with  the 
crowd  as  it  skurried  back  to  the  protection  of  the 
walls.  A  few  scattering  shots  were  fired,  and  Narbo 
distinguished  himself  by  cutting  down  the  two  gigan 
tic  troopers  who  were  sullenly  bringing  up  the  Soulian 
rear -guard.  Finally  the  artillerymen  on  the  walls 
succeeded  in  putting  a  light  gun  into  action,  and  the 
little  band  of  patriots  drew  off  and  completed  their  re- 
connoissance  of  the  city's  defences  from  a  safer  range. 
Jostled  and  buffeted  about,  I  am  swept  along  with 
the  struggling  tide  that  chokes  the  city's  gates.  And 
then  they  close  behind  me  with  a  resonant  clang.  I 
am  in  Kar,  and  it  behooves  me  to  walk  warily,  as  one 
who  carries  his  head  in  his  hands. 

The  capital  city  of  ^Etolia  covers  some  two  hundred 
acres  of  ground,  and  in  its  general  aspect  it  is  a  citadel 
rather  than  a  town.  It  is  a  bit  of  the  Middle  Ages 
set  down  among  these  pine -covered  hills,  a  feudal 
stronghold,  and  yet  only  a  half -score  hours  from 
Vienna.  The  cathedral  and  the  legislative  buildings 
stand  upon  the  public  square,  but  the  palace  is  entirely 
isolated  from  all  other  buildings,  and  occupies  the 
entire  north  end  of  the  square.  It  is  an  enormous 
block  of  buildings,  but  rather  a  fortalice  than  a  palace, 
the  Bastille  and  not  the  Tuileries. 

So  far  everything  is  mediaeval,  and  yet  within  the 
214 


I.N'T    l:K    A    Midi.,'    UK    SAII),    IN    A    WHISl'KK 


THROUGH  THE  DRAGON  GATE 

last  two  or  three  years  Kar  has  undergone  the  process 
of  discovery  at  the  hands  of  the  makers  of  guide-books. 
It  is  now  the  "most  picturesque  town  in  Europe,"  and 
the  fame  of  its  warm  baths  increases  daily.  And  so 
has  come  about  the  railway  from  Rhodopolis  and  other 
innovations  of  steam-heated  civilization.  They  look 
oddly  out  of  place,  these  smart -looking  cafes  with 
Parisian  names,  sandwiched  between  tottering  gables 
and  blackened  fagades.  And  yet  even  the  railway 
must  not  presume  too  far.  Under  extraordinary 
pressure  the  company  finally  obtained  permission  to 
lay  a  single  line  of  rails  through  the  Dragon  Gate  and 
up  to  the  great  square  of  Saint  Michael.  But  this  is 
a  privilege  jealously  qualified.  The  two  trains  that 
arrive  and  depart  daily  may  run  up  to  the  square  for 
the  convenience  of  their  passengers,  but  no  other 
railway  business  can  be  carried  on  within  the  sacred 
walls.  The  freight-yards,  the  round-houses,  even  the 
business  offices  of  the  company,  are  all  outside  the 
city.  The  actual  terminus  of  the  railway  is  a  full 
half-mile  the  other  side  of  the  Dragon  Gate.  This 
contempt  for  the  purely  utilitarian  amuses  me  ;  it 
would  have  charmed  Mr.  Ruskin.  I  need  hardly  add 
that  all  railway  traffic  has  been  suspended  for  the 
time  being ;  with  Nissa  in  our  hands  and  the  line 
destroyed,  the  company  must  await  the  progress  of 
events. 

No  one  took  any  notice  of  me  as  I  made  my  way 
to  the  square  of  Saint  Michael.  The  side  streets, 
narrow,  crooked,  and  dirty,  were  generally  deserted. 
Evidently  the  burghers  of  Kar  deem  it  wise  to  re 
main  within  doors  until  the  question  of  over-lordship 
has  been  decided.  But  the  square  was  crowded  with 
men  and  animals,  soldiers,  and  camp-followers. 

These  Soulian  soldiers  apparently  do  what  is  right 
in  their  own  eyes,  and  their  officers  shrug  their  shoulr 

215 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

ders  and  wait  philosophically  for  the  fighting  to  be 
gin.  Discipline  there  is  none,  and  only  in  the  guard 
duty  on  the  walls  is  there  any  appearance  of  military 
order  and  activity.  Even  there  the  preparations 
seem  to  me  to  be  ridiculously  inadequate,  and  I  should 
feel  immensely  encouraged  if  I  did  not  know  that 
the  patriot  forces  are  even  more  poorly  equipped 
for  the  offence. 

Little  by  little  I  managed  to  make  a  thorough  in 
spection  of  the  line  of  fortifications,  and  having  com 
pleted  the  circle,  I  sat  down  in  an  empty  hallway  to 
eat  my  luncheon  of  bread  and  cheese  and  to  review 
the  results  of  my  observation. 

The  more  I  think  it  over  the  less  cheerful  grows 
the  prospect.  Kar  is  a  city  set  upon  a  hill,  and 
its  general  situation  is  not  unlike  that  at  Jerusalem, 
only  more  so.  On  three  sides  the  ground  falls  so 
rapidly  away  from  the  walls  that  nothing  less  sure 
footed  than  a  goat  or  a  chamois  could  find  a  way  of 
approach.  The  fourth  side  contains  the  Dragon 
Gate,  and  is  the  only  possible  point  for  an  assault. 
The  pieces  mounted  upon  the  walls  are  only  old 
smooth-bores,  but  they  are  still  cannon,  and  the  scal 
ing-ladders  would  have  to  be  planted  within  point- 
blank  range.  Forlorn  indeed  would  be  the  hope  that 
essayed  to  mount  those  shaking  rungs.  It  looks 
as  though  we  should  have  to  stand  or  fall  by  the  per 
formance  of  the  dynamite-gun. 

It  was  nearly  sunset,  and  time  for  me  to  think 
of  getting  out  of  the  bear's  den.  Of  course  the 
gates  were  shut  and  guarded,  and  I  could  not  think 
of  passing  that  barrier.  But  under  my  outer  cloth 
ing  I  had  a  thirty-foot  knotted  silken  rope  wrapped 
about  my  waist,  and  with  its  aid  I  could  make  the 
descent  of  the  walls.  It  would  surely  not  be  difficult 
after  nightfall  to  elude  these  careless  sentries;  give 

216 


"I    FOLLO\VKI>    HIM    THROIT.H    A    SIDE    ENTRANCE' 


THROUGH  THE  DRAGON  GATE 

me  but  two  clear  minutes,  and  I  should  be  safely  over 
the  parapet.  In  the  mean  time  it  was  my  business  to 
keep  under  cover. 

With  everything  to  lose  and  nothing  to  gain  I 
must  needs  strain  my  good-luck  to  the  breaking- 
point.  I  had  the  fancy  to  make  my  way  once  again 
to  the  square,  and,  if  possible,  to  obtain  some  idea  of 
where  the  General  and  mademoiselle  were  confined. 
I  had  no  fears  for  their  personal  safety — Jehan  had 
sense  enough  for  that,  with  the  commissioner  of  the 
Powers  so  near  at  hand ;  but  if  ever  our  time  came,  it 
might  be  convenient  to  know  the  precise  whereabouts 
of  our  friends.  Undoubtedly  they  would  be  regarded 
as  prisoners  of  State,  and  as  such  they  would  prob 
ably  be  quartered  in  some  part  of  the  citadel-palace. 
Perhaps  I  might  be  lucky  enough  to  mark  them  down 
even  closer,  and  at  all  events  I  would  try.  A  foolish 
experiment,  but  remember  that  it  was  over  ten  days 
since  I  had  seen  Irma  de  Czareska. 

The  Via  Roma  runs  from  the  Dragon  Gate  to 
the  square  of  Saint  Michael,  and  is  the  principal  thor 
oughfare  of  the  city.  A  barricade  of  paving-stones 
was  being  built  under  the  direction  of  a  Soulian 
officer  of  engineers,  so  as  to  completely  close  the 
street,  and  the  work  presented  quite  a  formidable 
appearance.  Even  if  we  succeeded  in  forcing  the 
gates  there  would  still  be  this  obstacle  to  overcome, 
and  with  the  adjacent  houses  filled  with  Soulian  rifle 
men,  the  assault  should  be  a  bloody  one.  The  bar 
ricade  had  been  well  planned,  and  I  felt  inclined  to 
compliment  the  Soulian  engineer  upon  his  skill,  even 
while  regretting  that  he  had  had  occasion  to  exercise 
it.  A  moment  later  he  turned  and  walked  over  to 
where  I  was  standing.  It  was  Coventry,  and  I  tried 
to  slip  back  into  the  crowd.  But  he  would  not  have 
it  so. 

217 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

"You  seem  interested  in  our  modest  little  barri 
cade,  my  dear  Gary."  He  spoke  in  English,  and  then, 
without  giving  me  a  chance  either  to  disclaim  or  ac 
knowledge  my  identity,  he  took  me  by  the  arm  and 
forced  me  gently  through  the  crowd  and  up  the 
street.  I  thought,  in  one  mad  moment,  of  resistance. 

"  Don't  be  a  fool,"  he  said,  in  a  whisper,  while  his 
hand  renewed  its  pressure  upon  my  arm.  "  You  must 
realize  that  you  are  absolutely  in  my  power,  and  that 
the  moment  you  open  your  mouth  you  are  pronounc 
ing  your  own  death  sentence.  If  I  had  only  wanted 
to  stop  your  meddling  with  other  people's  business, 
I  need  not  have  taken  you  aside.  Now  that  I  am 
offering  you  a  chance,  you  had  better  accept  it  with 
out  insisting  upon  particulars." 

There  was  hard  common-sense  in  this,  and  I  walk 
ed  along  in  silence.  Arrived  at  the  square,  Coventry 
made  directly  for  the  palace,  and  I  followed  a  step 
or  two  behind,  as  befitted  my  inferior  rank.  I  made 
up  my  mind  that  I  was  to  be  subjected  to  an  exam 
ination,  possibly  at  the  hands  of  Jehan  himself.  We 
passed  the  guard  at  the  gateway  and  entered  the 
court-yard. 

"  There,  in  the  third  balcony  window  !"  whispered 
my  companion. 

I  looked  up.  A  tall,  handsomely  dressed  man  was 
standing  in  the  deep  embrasure  of  the  window,  with 
a  parrot  perched  upon  his  fingers.  He  was  evidently 
teaching  the  bird  some  sentence — an  odd  occupation 
for  a  man  in  his  position.  For  this  was  Jehan,  the 
usurper. 

It  was  not  a  pleasant  face,  and  even  as  I  looked 
it  hardened  into  sudden  cruelty.  The  puffy  white 
hands  tightened  about  the  neck  of  the  hapless  bird, 
and  the  next  instant  an  inert  mass  of  red  and  green 
feathers  hurtled  through  the  air  and  fell  at  our  feet. 

218 


THROUGH  THE  DRAGON  GATE 

The  King  acknowledged  with  an  indifferent  gesture 
Coventry's  military  salute,  and  turned  back  into  the 
room. 

"  This  way,"  beckoned  Coventry.  I  followed  him 
through  a  side  entrance  and  up  a  broad  staircase. 
He  stopped  before  a  door  and  produced  a  pass-key. 

"  My  private  apartments,"  he  explained.  "  If  you 
will  be  good  enough  to  enter,  we  can  talk  over  com 
fortably  the  business  in  hand." 

I  was  about  to  comply,  when  some  one  brushed 
against  me  in  the  semi-darkness  of  the  corridor  and 
hurried  on  with  the  briefest  of  apologies.  The  con 
tact  had  been  but  momentary,  and  yet  the  impression 
received  had  been  a  distinctly  unpleasant  one. 

"  Who  was  that  ?"  I  asked. 

Coventry  looked  up  in  surprise.  "  I  did  not  notice," 
he  said,  briefly,  as  he  held  the  door  open  for  me  to 
enter.  I  waited  a  moment  until  the  retreating  foot 
steps  had  died  away  down  the  long  corridor,  and  then 
passed  into  the  room. 


CHAPTER   XXIII 

AN    EXCHANGE    OP    CONFIDENCES 

[E  day  was  warm,  and  yet  there  was  a 
wood-fire  burning  on  the  hearth.  Sit 
ting  close  beside  it  was  a  woman,  Mrs. 
Verriker.  We  greeted  each  other  in 
silence.  She  was  making  a  pretence  at 
working  upon  an  embroidery -frame,  but  there  was 
no  silk  in  her  needle,  and  she  looked  pale  and  tired. 
She  rose  as  though  to  leave  the  room. 

"  No,  don't  go,  Mary,"  said  Coventry.  "  Perhaps 
you  can  help  me  in  bringing  Mr.  Gary  to  a  reasona 
ble  state  of  mind.  Hang  it,  man  !"  he  continued, 
turning  abruptly  to  me,  "  why  should  there  be  any 
beating  about  the  bush  between  old  .  friends.  It 
won't  surprise  you  much  to  know  that  Arthur  Cov 
entry  is  the  same  person  as  Arthur  Coventry  Ver 
riker,  late  a  captain  in  her  Majesty's  service,  and 
the  true  and  lawful  husband  of  this  lady.  I'll  engage, 
Mary,  that  you  have  the  certificate  at  hand  to  show 
Gary,  if  he  don't  care  to  accept  my  word." 

"  But  I  thought  that  Captain  Verriker—"  There 
I  stopped  in  confusion.  I  remembered  that  there 
had  always  been  a  mystery  about  Mrs.  Verriker's 
married  life.  Something  worse  than  widowhood — 
a  scandal  ? 

"  Yes  ;  the  same  Captain  Verriker  who  went  under 
a  dozen  years  ago.  You  remember  there  was  some 

220 


AN    EXCHANGE    OF    CONFIDENCES 

nasty  talk  about  a  sitting  at  '  Van  John  '  and  an  ex 
tra  ace  of  diamonds,  and  it  was  quite  true.  There's 
the  pasteboard  now  that  spoiled  a  man's  life,"  and 
Coventry  extracted  an  old  playing-card  from  his 
wallet  and  threw  it  down  upon  the  table.  He  tried 
to  speak  with  bravado,  but  there  was  a  sub-conscious 
note  in  his  voice  that  belied  its  assumed  indifference. 
He  must  have  seen  the  sympathy  in  my  face,  for  he 
went  on  quickly : 

"  But  before  God !  Gary,  I  was  innocent — at  least  of 
that  kind  of  thing.  I  don't  deny  that  I  made  a  good 
thing  out  of  play,  for  I  was  poor  and  the  mess  bills 
in  the  — th  run  high.  I  was  a  gentleman  rook  if  you 
like,  but  there  was  never  a  whisper  against  my  honor 
until  that  night  when  there  was  an  ace  too  many  in 
the  pack.  And  where  it  came  from  only  God  knows." 

Mrs.  Verriker  had  risen  and  crossed  over  to  her 
husband's  side.  She  lightly  brushed  an  infinitesimal 
speck  of  dust  from  his  coat-sleeve,  and  all  the  undy 
ing  tenderness  and  faith  of  a  good  woman  lay  in  that 
simple  action.  I  turned  away  my  head,  and  when  I 
looked  around  again  she  was  gone. 

"  It  was  she  who  saved  me  from  myself,"  he  went 
on,  after  a  little  pause.  "  You  can  guess  well  enough 
what  happened,  for  the  evidence  against  me  was 
damning,  and  there  is  no  mercy  for  a  sinner  against 
the  code.  Naturally  we  went  to  the  Continent,  and 
one  must  live,  you  know.  Those  were  shady  years, 
but  when  you  have  once  felt  the  tar-brush,  a  touch 
or  so  more  does  not  matter  much.  Finally  I  drifted 
into  the  Caliph's  service,  the  genteel  Botany  Bay 
for  army  black  sheep,  and  I  had  a  good  deal  to  do 
with  the  underground  negotiations  between  Soulia 
and  this  hound  Jehan.  Of  course  we  kept  a  sharp 
eye  upon  the  Czareskas  while  they  were  living  in 
England,  for  Jeltian  knew  well  enough  that  the  day 

221 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

would  come  when  a  reckoning  of  the  old  debt  would 
be  presented  at  his  door.  It  was  an  exciting  game, 
and  since  it  kept  me  from  thinking  much  about  my 
self,  I  played  it  with  all  my  heart.  Finally,  in  the 
latter  part  of  March,  we  received  word  that  General 
Czareska  was  about  to  go  to  Paris,  and  I  knew  that 
the  decisive  hour  had  struck. 

"  As  I  figured  it  out,  the  immense  potential  value  of 
the  '  Cardinal's  Rose '  was  the  master  card  in  the 
pack.  No  matter  who  held  it  at  the  start,  the  game 
would  go  to  the  side  that  actually  played  it.  And  so, 
faithful  to  my  employer's  interests,  I  laid  my  plans. 

"  Mrs.  Verriker  had  entered  the  Czareska  household 
some  two  or  three  months  back,  in  the  capacity  of 
companion  to  mademoiselle.  Her  information  was 
always  of  the  utmost  value  to  us  who  pulled  the 
strings  at  Paris,  and,  indeed,  she  played  her  part  to 
perfection,  as  you  know  yourself.  And  so  the  '  Car 
dinal's  Rose '  went  into  my  hands  that  March  after 
noon  on  Dover  pier,  and  all  the  rest  seemed  plain 
sailing.  You  can  hardly  blame  du  Midi  for  stepping 
into  my  web.  It  was  a  glittering  one,  and  he  was 
but  a  boy  ;  it  was  easy  enough  to  persuade  him  that 
old  Czareska  was  in  his  dotage,  and  that  he,  du  Midi, 
must  take  matters  into  his  own  hands  if  anything 
was  to  be  accomplished. 

"At  any  rate,  we  had  secured  the  great  ruby,  and 
the  money  should  go  to  bolstering  up  Jehan's  shak 
ing  throne  instead  of  buying  machine-guns  for  the 
revolutionists.  The  bogus  'Rose'  kept  du  Midi  from 
suspecting  our  double-dealing,  and  I  had  almost  com 
pleted  my  bargain  with  the  money-lenders  when  you 
happened  to  come  along,  you,  a  beggarly  Yankee 
scribbler,  who  had  only  to  stick  your  thumb  into  the 
pie  and  pick  out  the  biggest  plum  of  all. 

"  No,  I'm  not  flattering  you  ;  I  am  simply  pointing 
222 


AN    EXCHANGE    OF    CONFIDENCES 

out  that  the  luck  has  been  all  on  your  side  from  the 
beginning.  I  had  mistrusted  you  from  the  moment 
of  your  appearance,  although  it  was  some  time  before 
I  could  be  certain  of  how  much  you  really  knew. 
But  I  could  not  fight  against  your  lucky  star.  I  had 
you  at  my  mercy  when  I  held  my  buttonless  foil  at 
your  throat.  I  knew  you  when,  as  Baron  Kerker's 
footman,  you  helped  me  on  with  my  paletot.  And 
yet  you  beat  me  out.  I  was  up  against  it,  as  you 
Americans  say. 

"  Well,  your  great  coup  came  off,  and  I  was  obliged 
to  hurry  back  to  Kar  checkmated.  I  had  neither  the 
great  ruby  nor  the  odd  millions  that  represented  its 
value.  All  I  could  do  was  to  take  off  my  coat  and 
jump  into  the  fight.  So  the  matter  stands,  voila 
tout." 

"  Well  ?"  and  I  looked  at  him  searchingly.  Cov 
entry  smiled. 

"  Confession  is  good  for  the  soul,  my  dear  Gary, 
but  I  don't  mind  admitting  that  I  have  made  mine 
rather  with  an  eye  to  business.  But  have  a  cigar 
ette."  He  pushed  the  box  of  Egyptians  across  the 
table  and  lit  one  himself. 

"As  a  matter  of  fact,"  he  continued,  "I  am  out  of 
favor  here.  Jehan  believes  that  I  have  played  him 
false,  and  he  is  only  keeping  me  on  now  for  the  sake 
of  my  technical  services.  There's  nobody  else  in  Kar 
who  has  the  slightest  knowledge  of  military  engineer 
ing,  and  so  for  the  time  being  I  am  a  distinguished 
person.  As  you  see,  I  am  even  accorded  the  honor 
of  having  a  suite  of  rooms  assigned  to  me  in  the 
palace. 

"  Now  Jehan  believes  that  I  have  the  jewel  or  its 
equivalent  in  my  possession,  and  if  he  once  pulls  out 
of  this  black  hole  my  life  would  be  a  mighty  poor  risk 
for  any  insurance  company.  Strange  things  may 

223 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

happen  beyond  the  Balkans  without  any  questions 
being  asked,  and  I  have  no  friends  at  the  Soulian 
court.  Finally,  the  commissioner  of  the  Powers  will 
be  in  Kar  at  precisely  noon  to-morrow,  July  ioth." 

"  How  do  you  know  that  ?"  I  asked,  quickly. 

"  All  the  telegraph  wires  do  not  run  by  way  of 
Nissa,  my  dear  fellow.  The  line  via  Kavan  is  still 
working,  and  one  end  of  it  runs  directly  into  the 
office  of  the  Soulian  Minister  of  Foreign  Relations. 
The  commissioner  is  now  at  Kavan  with  General 
Sarkof  and  a  Soulian  army  corps.  Kavan  is  four 
hours'  march  from  Kar,  and  the  orders  to  advance 
will  be  sent  at  precisely  eight  o'clock  to-morrow 
morning." 

uAnd  the  commissioner  of  the  Powers  ?" 

"  Is  instructed  to  observe  the  status  quo  what 
ever  it  may  be.  If  Kar  is  in  the  hands  of  the  patri 
ots,  du  Midi  will  be  recognized  as  King,  both  de  jure 
and  de  facto ;  if  Jehan  can  hold  his  own  until  noon 
his  title  will  be  confirmed  by  the  single  voice  of  the 
Great  Powers.  You  see  that  the  situation  is  very  sim 
ple.  Can  you  take  advantage  of  it  ?" 

Well,  since  confidences  are  in  order,  I  may  as  well 
speak  frankly,  and  I  did  so. 

"  Without  artillery  we  can  hardly  hope  to  carry  the 
city  by  assault,  and  the  dynamite-gun  is  a  terribly 
uncertain  quantity.  The  chances  are  against  us." 

"  Precisely,  Mr.  Gary  ;  you  are  an  intelligent  man, 
and,  above  all,  you  are  a  reasonable  one.  Let  me  now 
inform  you  that  our  artillery  is  not  composed  en 
tirely  of  the  out-of-date  pieces  that  you  have  seen 
mounted  upon  the  walls  of  Kar.  We  have  at  least 
fifty  Maxims  ready  for  use,  and  they  are  now  being 
placed  in  position.  Look  here  !" 

We  stepped  to  a  window  commanding  the  side 
street  and  drew  the  curtains.  It  was  still  light  enough 

224 


AN    EXCHANGE    OF    CONFIDENCES 

for  me  to  see  an  ox-cart,  into  which  some  Soulian  sol 
diers  were  loading  a  machine-gun.  A  Maxim,  as 
Coventry  had  said,  and  there  were  half  a  dozen 
others  of  the  same  pattern  lined  up  against  the  outer 
wall  of  the  machine-shop  that  evidently  served  as  a 
rough-and-ready  armory.  I  must  have  looked  my 
chagrin  as  I  realized  that  the  scale  was  indisputably 
turning  against  us. 

"  But  what's  a  gun  without  powder  and  shot  ?"  said 
Coventry,  with  an  odd  inflection  in  his  voice.  "  Come 
this  way,  Gary,  and  I'll  give  you  another  object- 
lesson." 

He  led  the  way  down  into  the  court-yard  and  over 
to  the  enormous  gateway  tower  which  afforded  the 
only  entrance  to  the  outside  world.  We  entered  the 
guard-room  on  the  left,  in  which  half  a  dozen  soldiers 
sat  playing  at  cards  and  smoking,  in  complete  indif 
ference  to  discipline  ;  indeed,  not  one  of  them  took 
the  trouble  to  rise  and  salute  as  Coventry  passed. 
An  officer  more  or  less,  what  did  it  matter  ?  But 
Coventry  took  no  notice,  motioning  me  to  follow 
him. 

At  the  far  end  of  the  room  was  a  door  which  he  un 
locked  with  a  pass-key.  Descending  the  stairway,  we 
came  upon  the  entrance  to  a  vault.  A  lighted  lantern 
hung  suspended  to  the  iron  gateway,  and  before  it, 
seated  on  a  packing-box,  was  a  Soulian  soldier.  He 
was  fast  asleep,  and  Coventry  roused  him  with  a  kick 
that  was  anything  but  gentle. 

"  Is  this  how  you  keep  your  post,  you  Balkan  pig  ? 
Quick  now,  unless  you  want  to  find  yourself  up 
against  a  dead  wall  with  a  dozen  rifle-barrels  looking 
at  you  !" 

The  man  jumped  to  his  feet,  and  then,  recognizing 
his  officer,  started  in  to  excuse  his  obvious  neglect  of 
duty. 

p  225 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

"The  key,"  demanded  Coventry,  with  renewed  im 
patience. 

The  soldier  drew  an  enormous  key  from  the  breast 
of  his  dirty  blouse,  and  proceeded  to  unlock  the  grat 
ing.  We  entered  a  narrow  passage,  and  I  stumbled 
along  behind  Coventry  as  best  I  might.  He  carried 
the  lantern,  but  its  light  was  feeble,  and  the  footing 
was  none  of  the  best.  Twenty  paces  or  so  and  the 
passage  debouched  into  a  large  chamber,  apparently 
hewn  out  of  the  living  rock.  Coventry  set  the  Jan- 
tern  on  a  shelf  high  above  our  heads  and  bade  me  look 
about  me. 

The  place  seemed  to  be  a  store-room  of  some  kind, 
and  I  especially  noticed  a  pyramid  of  small  kegs  of  a 
peculiar  pattern.  Then  I  recognized  them  as  powder 
barrels,  and  Coventry  nodded  an  assent.  He  stepped 
up  to  one  of  the  kegs  and  removed  a  portion  of  the 
heading.  The  powder  was  of  the  old-fashioned  va 
riety,  black  and  fine-grained.  But  it  was  certainly 
gunpowder,  and  Coventry  stood  calmly  smoking  a 
cigarette  within  two  feet  of  the  opened  keg.  He 
smiled,  and  deliberately  flung  the  little  roll  of  smoul 
dering  fire  into  the  centre  of  the  dull  black  mass. 

Such  is  the  power  of  the  imagination  that  for  the 
moment  I  actually  saw  the  solid  walls  toppling  upon 
my  head.  And  yet  nothing  whatever  had  happened. 
The  lighted  cigarette  was  dying  out  as  it  lay  harmless 
and  ineffectual  upon  the  naked  powder.  "You  see," 
said  my  companion,  "  that  our  Soulian  army  contract 
ors  understand  their  business.  They  have  supplied 
us  here  with  a  really  excellent  quality  of  black  sand, 
and  the  only  keg  of  genuine  powder  was  the  particu 
lar  one  prepared  for  the  convenience  of  the  inspecting 
officer.  I  have  tested  all  the  others  myself." 

Heaped  in  another  corner  were  a  number  of  boxes 
filled  with  old-fashioned  paper  rifle-shells.  Coventry 

226 


AN    EXCHANGE    OP    CONFIDENCES 

broke  one  open  and  held  the  flame  of  a  vesta  in  con 
tact  with  the  explosive  charge.  The  stuff  spluttered 
feebly,  something  after  the  fashion  of  the  "  sizzer  " 
that  an  American  boy  is  accustomed  to  manufacture 
out  of  a  discarded  fire-cracker.  "  They  contain  barely 
enough  explosive  to  expel  themselves  from  the  guns," 
continued  Coventry,  "and  the  same  is  true  of  the 
cartridges  supplied  for  the  Maxim  belts.  The  cor 
ruption  extends  everywhere  —  brown -paper  shoes, 
shoddy  clothing,  lead  bayonets,  but  it  is  useless  to 
enumerate  details.  The  Soulian  forces  in  Kar  would 
be  at  the  mercy  of  a  single  company  of  French  or 
even  Spanish  regulars.  That  is,  if  I  choose  to  have  it 
so,"  he  concluded,  meaningly. 

"  Then  there  is  another  supply  of  serviceable  am 
munition,"  I  hazarded. 

"Precisely,  and  as  head  of  the  ordnance  department 
it  lies  with  me  which  of  the  two  is  served  out  upon 
this  occasion.  But  even  then  the  walls  are  thick  and 
high,  and  your  dynamite-gun  may  not  arrive,  or  may 
fail  in  its  service.  Only  one  thing  is  certain  to  hap 
pen,  and  that  is  the  coming  of  the  commissioner  and 
Sarkof.  You  may  be  sure  that  they  will  be  here  on 
time." 

"  Yes?"  and  I  looked  at  him  steadily. 

"  I  am  coming  to  that,"  he  returned.  "  Briefly,  then, 
there  is  another  entrance  besides  the  Dragon  Gate  to 
the  sacred  city  of  Kar,  and  I  have  been  keeping  the 
secret  of  its  existence  for  just  such  an  opportunity  to 
turn  it  to  advantage.  If  I  choose  to  let  you  into  the 
secret  of  my  little  wicket  gate,  a  couple  of  hundred 
men  can  be  quietly  introduced  at  any  time  within  the 
walls,  and  I  need  not  enlarge  upon  the  strategic  im 
portance  of  a  position  in  the  enemy's  rear.  Kar  will  be 
in  your  hands  within  an  hour  of  the  firing  of  the  first 
shot  to-morrow  morning,  and  with  the  Soulian  car- 

227 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

tridge-belts  filled  with  this  dummy  ammunition,  your 
loss  need  not  exceed  a  score  of  men." 

"  And  your  price  ?" 

"The  Cardinal's  Rose." 

"  The  Cardinal's  Rose  !  How  can  we  give  some 
thing  that  we  no  longer  possess  ?  Is  it  even  certain 
that  the  ruby  is  still  in  existence?" 

"I  will  take  the  risk,"  he  returned,  lightly.  "I 
dare  say  that  our  friend  du  Midi  knows  where  to  lay 
his  hands  upon  it  should  occasion  serve.  You  are 
simply  to  lay  my  proposition  before  him,  and  he  ought 
not  find  it  difficult  to  decide.  Unless  my  offer  is  ac 
cepted,  Infelix  Agricola  loses  both  the  jewel  and  the 
crown  which  it  once  adorned.  And  I,  having  made 
my  coup,  may  spend  my  declining  years  repenting  of 
my  sins.  But  I  must  have  one  more  taste  of  cakes 
and  ale  before  I  put  on  the  sackcloth. 

"  You  understand  the  condition,"  he  went  on.  "  The 
'Rose'  must  be  delivered  to  me  in  person  before  I  will 
move  a  step  in  the  matter.  I  will  send  you  out  by 
the  secret  way,  and  wait  for  your  return  shortly  be 
fore  dawn.  Upon  the  completion  of  the  transaction, 
the  ambuscading  party  shall  have  free  entry,  and  the 
general  attack  may  be  begun  at  any  time." 

"And  you?" 

"  I  will  look  after  myself.  Perhaps  a  stray  bullet 
from  one  of  my  own  men,  for  the  beggars  hate  me 
well  enough  for  even  that.  But  what  would  you  ? 
The  stake  is  a  big  one,  and  afterwards — " 

He  stopped  abruptly  and  put  his  hand  to  his  throat 
as  though  the  words  were  strangling  there.  And 
then  with  his  eyes  still  fixed  upon  the  floor : 

"It's  a  blackleg  business,  even  against  a  scoundrel 
like  Jehan,  but  I  must  strike  or  be  struck.  For  my 
self  I  don't  care,  but  there  is  Mary,  and  for  her  sake 
I'd  be  willing  to  put  in  a  few  more  years  of  this  hell. 

228 


AN    EXCHANGE    OF    CONFIDENCES 

Some  quiet  little  box  in  the  States  would  do  us,  and 
she  could  go  in  for  her  charities — women  are  all  alike, 
you  know,  in  that." 

He  looked  at  his  watch.  "  Nine  o'clock,  and  time 
that  you  were  off,  if  you  are  going  to  pull  in  the  same 
boat  with  me.  Is  it  yes  or  no,  then?" 

"  Yes ;  but  I  too  have  a  condition.  You  know 
where  the  prisoners  are  confined  ?  Of  course  I  mean 
General  and  Mademoiselle  Czareska." 

"Well?" 

"And  you  have  access  to  them ?  Very  good  ;  they 
must  accompany  me  when  I  leave  Kar  to-night." 

Coventry  shook  his  head ;  but  he  saw  that  I  was  re 
solved,  and  he  yielded. 

"  It  more  than  doubles  the  risk,"  he  said,  slowly, 
'*  but  you  may  be  right  about  the  necessity  of  obtain 
ing  the  General's  consent  to  the  legal  transfer  of  the 
ruby,  and  du  Midi  may  not  be  willing  to  act  without 
it.  And,  if  you  will  do  me  the  favor,  I  will  ask  to 
have  Mary — Mrs.  Verriker — join  your  party.  I  should 
feel  easier  if  she  were  outside  these  black  walls." 

Of  course  I  assented,  and,  our  conference  being  con 
cluded  for  the  time  being,  we  started  to  return  to 
Coventry's  apartments.  Just  outside  the  door  of  the 
guard-room  stood  an  iron  basket  full  of  flaring  pine- 
knots.  As  we  passed  within  the  circle  of  its  radiance 
we  came  face  to  face  with  a  man  coming  from  the 
palace  side  of  the  court-yard.  The  recognition,  on  my 
part  at  least,  was  immediate  and  unqualified — the 
man  was  Maitre  Etienne  Vauclot. 


CHAPTER  XXIV 

THE    TAPESTRIED    CHAMBER 

COVENTRY  listened  gravely  while  I  re 
hearsed  as  briefly  as  I  might  the  secret 
history  of  the  "yellow  house."  That  it 
was  a  genuine  revelation  to  him  I  could 
not  doubt  for  an  instant,  and  the  expla 
nation  that  he  gave  in  turn  was  entirely  credible. 
Vauclot  had  acted  for  a  long  time  as  a  secret  agent 
for  Soulia,  and  when  Coventry  came  to  Paris  to  take 
charge  of  the  underground  bureau  he  had  found  him 
useful  in  many  ways.  They  had  been  political  asso 
ciates  ;  the  house  in  the  Rue  de  Rennes  was  a  con 
venient  rendezvous,  and  all  the  rest  follows  naturally. 
The  affair  at  No.  82  had  not  been  permitted  to  get 
into  the  newspapers,  and  Coventry  knew  only  that 
the  house  had  been  destroyed  by  fire  and  that  Vau 
clot  was  missing,  and  presumably  dead.  Later  on  he 
had  appeared  at  Kar,  and  had  been  given  a  small  ap 
pointment  in  Jehan's  personal  service.  "  Some  sort  of 
spying  business,  I  dare  say,"  added  Coventry,  indif 
ferently.  "  I  never  did  like  the  man,  and  I  haven't 
exchanged  two  words  with  him  since  he  came  here." 
"  Not  even  to  ask  why  he  left  Paris?" 
"Not  even  that." 

"  Do  you  suppose  that  he  recognized  you  ?"  asked 
Coventry,  after  a  short  silence.  "  Now  that  you  have 
shaved  off  your  beard,  and  in  those  clothes — " 

230 


THE    TAPESTRIED    CHAMBER 

"  He  has  such  good  cause  to  remember  me."  I  an 
swered,  "that  I  am  not  indulging  in  any  illusions.  I 
am  sure  that  he  knew  me." 

"And  consequently?" 

"  We  may  regard  ourselves  as  under  suspicion.  Vau- 
clot  may  have  but  little  love  for  Jehan,  but  if  I  know 
the  man,  he  would  give  much  for  the  chance  of  pay 
ing  off  the  score  that  is  chalked  up  against  me.  And 
indifferently  friendly  as  your  relations  may  have  been 
with  him  up  to  this  point,  you  must  now  be  prepared 
to  find  in  him  an  active  enemy." 

"  Well,  it  may  be  so,  but  I  think  that  you  exaggerate 
the  peril.  In  the  first  place,  he  knows  nothing — 

"  But  he  can  put  two  and  two — that  is,  you  and  me 
— together,"  I  interrupted. 

"And  in  the  second  place,  he  can  do  nothing,"  he 
continued,  calmly.  "  Take  it  easy,  my  dear  fellow ; 
we  shall  be  busy  enough  with  the  things  that  will 
really  happen  before  the  night  is  over.  And  now,  if 
you  will  follow  me,  I  will  take  you  to  General  Czar- 
eska." 

As  I  had  surmised,  this  feudal  stronghold  was  prison 
as  well  as  palace,  and  the  apartments  reserved  for 
prisoners  of  state  were  situated  at  one  end  of  this 
same  wing  in  which  Coventry  had  his  suite.  We 
passed  down  the  long  corridor  and  entered  an  ante 
room  belonging  to  the  official  apartments  of  the  chief 
jailer.  A  few  words  from  Coventry  and  a  turnkey 
was  ordered  to  conduct  me  to  the  rooms  set  aside  for 
the  use  of  the  Czareskas. 

"  Only  ten  minutes,  mind,"  whispered  Coventry  in 
my  ear.  "  I  will  prepare  Mrs.  Verriker  for  the  new 
move,  and  you  must  have  the  General  and  madem 
oiselle  in  readiness  the  instant  that  I  return."  He 
turned  away,  and  I  followed  the  jailer  through  the 
grated  door  of  the  prison  corridor. 

231 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

Mademoiselle  looked  up,  her  face  white  and  startled, 
as  the  bolts  shot  back  and  I  entered  the  apartment. 
Then  she  sprang  to  her  feet,  and  we  stood  waiting  for 
the  fellow  to  make  his  clumsy  exit.  How  small  her 
hand  was  and  how  cold  !  It  fluttered  in  mine  as 
though  it  had  been  some  frightened  bird  and  I  an 
oafish  boy,  uncertain  whether  to  be  feared  or  shamed 
of  that  which  he  had  captured.  And  then,  gathering 
all  my  courage,  I  looked  up  and  met  the  confessing 
triumph  of  her  eyes.  For  remember  that  a  woman 
takes  no  shame  in  loving  when  once  she  has  passed 
beyond  the  necessity  of  concealing  it  from  herself. 

"It  is  true,  then?"  I  said, catching  at  my  breath,  for 
a  man's  heart  may  stand  still  at  the  first  sight  of  Love 
even  as  before  the  face  of  Fear.  But  she  would  not 
answer  me  upon  the  moment,  for,  after  all,  it  is  the 
woman's  place  to  listen  and  the  man's  to  speak.  Yet 
she  will  have  it  that  he  chooses  only  the  right  words 
— a  wonderful  thing,  when  one  considers  that  there 
are  but  two  or  three  of  these  at  the  most  out  of  the 
millions  that  the  scholars  have  packed  between  the 
covers  of  the  dictionary.  I  found  them,  indeed,  but 
the  verba  ipsissima,  they  are  not  to  be  written  down 
here ;  they  belong  to  her  who  heard  rather  than  to 
him  who  spoke  them,  and  every  man  must  choose  his 
own  when  he  seeks  a  woman's  love. 

It  was  only  when  the  ten  minutes  had  all  but  ex 
pired  that  I  bethought  myself  of  my  errand.  Per 
haps  it  was  only  fancy,  but  I  thought  that  Irma's 
face  fell  when  I  told  the  great  news  of  how  du  Midi 
had  finally  come  to  his  senses,  and  was  even  now  in 
the  patriot  camp  and  at  the  head  of  his  army.  Yet 
she  went  obediently  to  waken  her  father,  who  was 
asleep  in  an  inner  room,  and  this  gave  me  the  oppor 
tunity  to  recall  the  one  condition  upon  which  another 
man  might  claim  the  fulfilment  of  an  old  promise. 

232 


THE    TAPESTRIED    CHAMBER 

The  day  that  Prince  Infelix  rode  through  the  Dragon 
Gate  of  Kar — and  that  might  be  on  the  morrow  !  The 
word  that  she  had  given  might  yet  be  required  of 
her,  and  I  could  not  be  doubtful  of  her  answer  to  the 
call.  But  why  should  it  be  necessary  to  wait  for  that 
word  ?  What  should  it  matter  to  Irma  de  Czareska  or 
to  me  who  ruled  this  little  corner  of  the  big  world  ? 
Let  us  go  our  own  way  and  leave  the  wranglers  to 
batter  each  other  at  their  leisure.  We  have  found, 
and,  please  God  !  we  shall  keep  fast,  the  better  things 
in  life. 

And  then  my  cheeks  burned  hotly  as  the  cold,  slug 
gish  fit  passed  off,  and  I  could  again  distinguish  black 
from  white.  Surely,  if  a  man  must  choose,  it  is  better 
to  deserve  success  (or  any  other  good  thing)  rather 
than  to  merely  possess  it.  And  so  far  as  it  lay  in  me, 
I  did  make  my  choice  then  and  there. 

Coventry  was  knocking  impatiently  upon  the  door 
as  the  General  finally  appeared.  The  old  man  had 
been  deeply  moved  by  the  good  news  that  I  had 
brought,  for  he  had  loved  du  Midi  as  his  own  son.  I 
handed  him  a  letter  that  the  Prince  had  intrusted  to 
me  in  the  uncertain  event  of  my  being  able  to  com 
municate  with  the  prisoners,  and  I  could  see  that  the 
affectionate  words  were  like  a  strong  cordial  to  a 
fainting  man  ;  he  grasped  my  hand  and  shook  it 
silently. 

I  explained  the  plan  which  Coventry  and  I  had  in 
mind,  and  although  the  old  soldier  knit  his  brows  at 
the  mention  of  the  former's  name,  he  announced  his 
willingness  to  do  whatever  I  thought  best.  Madem 
oiselle  was  already  in  hat  and  cloak,  and  without 
further  delay  we  joined  Coventry  in  the  corridor  out 
side.  Only  the  stiffest  of  salutations  were  exchanged. 

"  I  have  prepared  an  order  directing  the  jailer  to 
transfer  the  prisoners  to  my  custody,"  whispered 

233 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

Coventry,  "  and  we  have  only  to  carry  off  the  matter 
with  a  bold  face  to  succeed.  It  is  understood  that  I 
am  taking  the  prisoners  to  the  King  for  examination, 
and  you,  being  in  Soulian  uniform,  are  supposed  to 
be  a  guard  detailed  to  assist  me.  Here  is  a  rifle," 
and  with  that  he  pressed  a  gun-barrel  into  my  hand. 
"  Steady  now,  and  remember  that  these  Soulians  are 
born  fools  and  achieve  stupidity." 

And  indeed  the  ordeal  was  a  simple  one.  The 
Soulian  jailer  had  already  seen  and  read  the  order, 
and  he  offered  no  objection  to  its  irregularity.  The 
grating  was  swung  aside  and  we  passed  out  into  the 
public  corridor. 

At  the  entrance  to  the  big  court -yard  Mrs.  Ver- 
riker  met  us.  The  enclosure  was  full  of  men  and 
soldiers,  and  here,  if  anywhere,  we  might  have  diffi 
culty.  But  the  sentry  at  the  gate  accepted  our  uni 
forms  as  an  all-sufficient  passport,  and  no  one  else 
vouchsafed  us  more  than  a  passing  glance.  The  night 
was  dark  and  starless,  and  once  we  had  plunged  into 
the  nearest  side  street  we  felt  comparatively  safe. 
Coventry  led  the  way  with  his  wife,  Irma  had  her 
father's  arm,  and  I  brought  up  the  rear. 

So  nearly  as  I  could  judge,  we  were  heading  tow 
ards  the  northeast  quarter  of  the  city,  but,  in  the 
labyrinth  of  crooked  streets  that  is  old  Kar,  it  was 
difficult  to  keep  one's  bearings.  Still  Coventry  never 
hesitated  for  an  instant,  and  we  followed  without 
asking  any  questions. 

Finally,  the  enormous  bulk  of  the  city  wall  loomed 
up  ahead  of  us,  and  we  turned  into  a  street  that  ran 
roughly  parallel  to  the  fortifications.  For  the  last 
quarter  of  a  mile  we  had  not  met  nor  seen  a  single 
person.  The  houses  looked  shut-up  and  deserted  ;  to 
all  appearances  we  might  have  been  passing  through 
a  city  of  the  dead.  Suddenly  Coventry  pulled  up 

234 


THE    TAPESTRIED    CHAMBER 

short  and  laid  his  hand  upon  my  shoulder  with  a 
cautionary  gesture.  I  listened,  and  fancied  that  I, 
too,  caught  the  sound  of  following  footsteps.  For 
half  a  minute,  perhaps,  we  stood  irresolute,  but  now 
the  silence  was  absolute. 

"Go  back  a  couple  of  hundred  yards,"  said  Coven 
try  to  me  in  a  whisper,  "  and  I  will  take  this  alley 
to  the  right.  Not  any  farther,  for,  if  need  be,  we 
are  close  enough  to  our  destination  to  make  a  run 
for  it." 

I  walked  back,  counting  my  paces  as  I  went,  and 
with  every  sense  on  edge.  The  street  was  a  narrow 
one,  entirely  unlighted,  and  the  houses  on  either  side 
seemed  to  lean  towards  each  other,  blotting  out  the 
sky  itself.  There  were  dark  passages  and  recessed 
doorways  in  plenty,  and  in  any  one  of  them  evil 
might  be  lurking.  But  I  found  nothing. 

My  two  hundred  yards  had  been  paced  off,  and,  fol 
lowing  Coventry's  instructions,  it  was  time  to  turn 
back.  Just  beyond  where  I  had  halted,  a  high  party- 
wall  abutted  into  the  street,  completely  blocking  the 
narrow  sidewalk.  Should  I,  as  a  final  precaution, 
make  sure  that  the  way  beyond  was  clear  ?  No ;  for 
eleven  o'clock  was  sounding  from  the  cathedral  tow 
er  in  the  distant  square  ;  the  night  was  passing,  and 
every  minute  now  might  be  of  value.  I  counted  the 
strokes,  and  then  turned  back,  for  so  Fate  arranges 
the  affairs  of  men.  And  better,  perhaps,  than  one 
could  do  it  for  himself,  as  I  afterwards  came  to 
see,  although  my  decision  cost  me  many  a  regret 
in  the  hours  that  were  immediately  to  come.  I  re 
joined  the  waiting  party,  and,  without  asking  me  for 
a  formal  report,  Coventry  beckoned  us  onward. 

For  some  six  or  seven  hundred  yards  we  proceeded 
in  single  file,  keeping  close  in  the  shadow  of  the  tall 
buildings,  and  then  our  leader  made  a  sharp  turn 

235 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

to  the  left,  straight  down  a  cul-de-sac  that  ended 
plump  against  the  city  wall.  The  last  house  on  the 
left  abutted  on  the  wall  itself,  and  here  Coventry 
stopped.  Taking  a  key  from  his  pocket,  he  unlocked 
the  street-door  and  motioned  us  to  enter. 

We  waited  for  a  few  moments  in  a  square  hallway 
while  Coventry  relocked  the  door,  and,  as  an  addi 
tional  precaution,  shot  the  inner  bolt.  He  then  lit  a 
pocket  bull's-eye  and  led  the  way  to  an  apartment  at 
the  back,  passing  through  the  two  other  rooms  that 
made  up  the  ground-floor  of  the  house.  There  was 
no  furnishing  in  any  of  them,  and,  judging  from  their 
musty  smell,  I  concluded  that  they  had  been  unoccu-. 
pied  for  a  long  time. 

As  I  afterwards  came  to  know,  the  house  had  been 
built  against  rising  ground,  and  the  street  level  at  the 
rear  coincided  with  that  of  the  first  story  proper. 
Consequently  the  room  in  which  we  now  stood  was 
virtually  underground,  and  the  walls  were  ap 
parently  windowless,  and,  indeed,  solid,  except  for 
the  connecting  doors  into  the  passage  and  front 
rooms.  It  was  wainscoted  in  a  dark  wood,  and  the 
walls  themselves  were  hung  with  tapestries  repre 
senting  Scriptural  subjects,  so  far  as  I  could  make 
them  out.  One  scene  was  evidently  the  flight  of 
Absalom — a  figure  caught  by  the  hair  in  the  wide- 
spreading  branches  of  an  oak-tree — not  an  encourag 
ing  omen  for  our  present  enterprise,  if  one  felt  in 
clined  to  be  superstitious.  But  mademoiselle  only 
smiled  as  our  eyes  met,  and  the  momentary  shadow 
lifted. 

The  secret  door  in  the  panelling  had  been  con 
structed  with  extraordinary  cleverness.  Even  after 
Coventry  had  opened  and  closed  it  two  or  three 
times,  I  still  found  it  difficult  to  see  where  the  lines 
were  broken  into  the  wood-work,  and  it  cost  me  half 

236 


"MY    KINGKK    WAS    Ul'UN    HIS    1,11'" 


THE    TAPESTRIED    CHAMBER 

a  dozen  trials  before  I  could  put  my  finger  upon  the 
spring. 

"And  now,"  said  Coventry,  "let  us  be  sure  that  we 
understand  each  other.  As  you  have  probably  guessed, 
there  is  a  passageway  behind  the  panel  that  runs 
clear  through  the  city  wall  and  opens  upon  the  ravine 
at  the  northeast  corner  of  the  fortifications.  From 
there,  as  you  will  see,  there  is  a  practical  path  leading 
to  the  great  plateau.  By  four  o'clock  it  will  be  gray- 
cat  light,  and  you  and  your  men — " 

My  finger  was  upon  his  lip.  To  my  sharpened 
fancy  it  seemed  as  though  the  suspended  figure  in 
the  tapestry  had  suddenly  advanced  towards  us, 
menacing  and  terrible.  And  then,  with  clearer  per 
ception,  I  realized  that  it  was  only  the  tapestry 
bellying  out  from  the  wall  as  though  stirred  by  some 
wandering  current  of  air.  A  simple  explanation, 
and  yet  what  had  caused  the  draught  ?  We  had 
closed  the  street-door  behind  us,  and  the  front  win 
dows  had  remained  as  we  had  found  them,  tightly 
shuttered  and  bolted.  The  door  in  the  passage  was 
open,  and  I  walked  over  and  stood  for  a  moment  upon 
its  threshold.  In  the  semi-darkness  I  could  barely 
make  out  the  outlines  of  the  stairway  leading  to  the 
story  above  us.  It  seemed  to  me  that  I  felt  the  chill  of 
passing  air  sweeping  down  from  above,  but  the  vesta 
that  I  lit  burned  with  a  flickerless  flame.  If  a  win 
dow,  a  door,  on  the  ground  level  at  the  rear  of  the 
house  had  been  opened,  it  had  as  certainly  been 
closed  again.  I  glanced  back  into  the  room.  The 
tapestry  hung  flat  and  motionless  against  the  wall. 

"What  is  it?"  demanded  Coventry,  impatiently. 
But  I  could  only  shake  my  head.  Since  he  had  no 
ticed  nothing  I  might  as  well  keep  my  misgivings  to 
myself — and,  to  tell  the  truth,  I  was  a  little  ashamed 
of  my  precipitancy  in  materializing  a  bogey. 

237 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

"A  rat,  perhaps,"  I  answered,  "or  it  may  be  that 
my  nerves  are  a  bit  too  fine  drawn.  It  doesn't  mat 
ter,  only  let  us  be  getting  along  ;  I  understand  every 
thing  perfectly." 

"Just  as  you  say,"  he  returned.  "Now,  then,  madem 
oiselle,  if  you  please." 

We  passed  one  by  one  through  the  door  in  the 
wainscoting,  and  so  into  the  secret  passage  that  lay 
beyond  it.  This  latter  was  about  thirty  feet  in 
length,  corresponding,  of  course,  to  the  thickness  of 
the  city  wall.  The  stone  curtain  at  the  farther  end 
looked  solid  to  the  eye,  but  Coventry  showed  me  that 
the  great  slab  in  the  centre  was  really  fixed  upon 
pivots,  and  could  be  turned  edgewise  by  means  of 
levers  worked  from  within.  There  was  just  room  on 
either  side  of  the  huge  leaf  of  stone  for  a  man  to 
squeeze  through,  and  we  had  some  difficulty  with  the 
General,  who  had  been  taking  on  weight  during  the 
last  few  days.  But  with  Coventry  to  haul  and  I  to 
push  we  got  him  through  at  last,  and  the  way  of  de 
liverance  was  clear  before  us.  In  front  the  ground 
fell  rapidly  away  into  the  deep  gorge,  upon  whose 
edge  the  city  stood,  but  stretching  away  on  the  left 
was  a  narrow  ridge  that  reached  upward  to  the  level 
of  the  plain.  It  was  hardly  more  than  a  goat-walk, 
but  we  were  not  particular  so  long  as  it  led  to  our 
friends  and  to  liberty.  Coventry  took  me  aside  for 
the  last  word. 

"  At  four  o'clock,  then,  and  the  signal  will  be  three 
raps  upon  the  swinging  stone.  Remember  that  the 
price  must  be  in  my  hands  before  I  close  the  bargain; 
not  a  man  shall  enter  until  the  '  Cardinal's  Rose '  is 
formally  handed  over  to  me.  I'm  a  business-like  vil 
lain,  Gary,  and  can't  afford  to  take  any  risks.  Finally, 
not  more  than  a  hundred  men  ;  they  should  be  enough 
to  do  the  trick,  and  with  a  large  party  the  risk  of  dis 

238 


THE    TAPESTRIED   CHAMBER 

covery  increases  inversely.  And  now  is  there  any 
thing  else?" 

"  Nothing  ;  I  understand  perfectly  the  part  that  I 
have  to  play.  But  I  don't  like  the  idea  of  your  going 
back  alone — into  that  room." 

"  Something  more  than  a  rat  behind  the  arras,"  he 
said,  smilingly.  "Nonsense!  and,  besides,  there  is  the 
dummy  ammunition  to  be  given  out,  and  a  dozen 
other  details  for  this  fine  Italian  hand  to  execute.  As 
to  the  mysteries  of  the  tapestried  chamber,  I  shall 
just  have  to  chance  them  with  the  other  odds  against 
me.  But  no  fear  for  me,  my  dear  fellow  ;  you  do 
your  part,  and  I  shall  be  waiting  for  you  when  '  Big 
Michael'  booms  out  four  o'clock." 

Coventry  bowed  formally  to  the  General  and  to 
mademoiselle,  and  exchanged  a  whispered  word  or 
two  with  his  wife.  Then  ho  stepped  back  into  the 
passageway  and  waved  his  hand  in  final  salute.  The 
great  block  of  stone  swung  slowly  into  place,  and  we 
were  left  alone  upon  the  little  space  of  level  ground 
that  finally  narrowed  off  into  the  dangerous  passage 
of  the  "  Razor  Edge."  Five  minutes  of  rough  scram 
bling  and  we  were  safely  over  and  out  upon  the  plain. 
The  night  was  still  intensely  dark,  but  a  mile  away  a 
scattered  light  or  two  twinkled  against  the  hill-side. 
We  were  within  sight  of  the  ^Etolian  camp. 


CHAPTER  XXV 

ON   THE    " RAZOR    EDGE  " 

jiT  was  both  good  and  bad  news  that 
greeted  us  upon  our  arrival  in  the  patriot 
camp.  The  ranks  of  the  insurgent  army 
had  been  steadily  rilling  up,  and  fully 
five  thousand  men  had  straggled  in  dur 
ing  the  last  dozen  hours.  But  for  the  most  part  they 
were  poorly  armed  and  entirely  undisciplined. 

"They  are  brave  enough,  I  dare  say,"  grumbled  the 
Baron,  as  we  paced  the  platform  of  the  railway  freight 
station,  the  temporary  headquarters  of  General 
Ghika,  "  but  a  word  from  the  mouth  of  the  dynamite- 
gun  is  what  is  really  needed  to  settle  our  argument 
with  Jehan." 

"Where  is  the  gun?" 

"  Still  on  its  way,  and  the  roads  are  getting  worse, 
if  anything.  These  fellows  have  no  mechanical  abil 
ity,  you  know." 

"Then  you  had  better  superintend  its  transporta 
tion  in  person,"  I  answered,  earnestly.  "My  hundred 
men  inside  the  walls  can  do  nothing  unless  the  main 
assault  is  successful.  And  how  can  you  force  an 
entrance  without  the  gun  ?" 

My  argument  could  not  be  refuted,  and  the  Baron, 
with  many  groans,  caused  himself  to  be  hoisted  upon 
a  horse,  and  set  out  for  the  scene  of  the  delay.  But 
before  his  departure  the  good  man  was  called  upon  to 

240 


ON    THE    "RAZOR    EDGE" 

assist  at  a  little  dramatic  climax,  and,  since  I  was  a 
witness,  it  may  as  well  be  set  down  here. 

An  orderly  had  summoned  us  to  the  conference  in 
the  station-house,  and  on  entering  we  found  General 
Czareska  alone  with  the  Prince.  I  say  the  Prince 
advisedly,  for  somehow  the  old  familiar  name  of  du 
Midi  no  longer  came  naturally  to  my  lips.  He  had 
changed  wonderfully  in  these  last  few  days;  childish 
things  had  been  put  away  and  he  had  become  a  man. 
This  was  the  Agricola  for  whom  other  men  counted 
it  an  honor  to  die,  Infelix  of  ^Etolia,  and  already 
numbered  with  the  predestined,  whether  it  be  for 
good  or  whether  it  be  for  evil. 

"  Mr.  Gary,"  said  the  Prince,  as  he  motioned  me  to 
a  seat, "  I  have  just  been  informed  by  General  Czareska 
of  Mr.  Coventry's  proposition  ;  we  must  accept  it 
without  hesitation." 

"  You  can  fulfil  the  condition,  then  ?"  I  asked, 
doubtfully.  "  The  '  Cardinal's  Rose  '— " 

"  Baron  Kerker  can  help  us  out  there,"  said  the 
Prince,  turning  to  the  banker.  "  Let  me  at  last  re 
lieve  you  of  your  trust." 

The  Baron  unbuttoned  an  inner  pocket  in  his  coat, 
and  handed  a  jewel-case  to  the  Prince. 

The  Prince  took  the  little  box  and  looked  at  it  for 
a  moment  or  two  as  it  lay  unopened  in  his  hand. 
Then  with  a  sudden  movement  he  sank  down  on  one 
knee  and  offered  it  to  the  General. 

"And  handsomely  done,  too,"  whispered  the  Baron 
to  me  as  we  bent  over  the  table  upon  pretence  of 
examining  the  big  military  map  that  lay  there.  "The 
boy  has  stuff  in  him,  even  if  he  did  make  a  mess  of  it 
at  the  start.  Oh,  but  look  now  !  Is  it  not  enough 
to  set  a  man's  blood  aflame?" 

The  Prince  had  taken  the  great  ruby  from  its  case 
and  was  holding  it  out  for  us  to  see.  It  actually 
Q  241 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

seemed  as  though  the  room  were  the  brighter  for  its 
spark  of  deep-glowing  fire.  What  a  vital  color  is  red ! 
It  lies  at  the  heart  of  all  living  things ;  it  is  the  sym 
bol  of  life  itself  !  The  "  Cardinal's  Rose  "  seemed  to 
flower  as  we  gazed  upon  it. 

The  jewel  had  been  newly  set  in  a  silver-gilt  clasp, 
and  the  Prince  used  it  to  loop  up  one  side  of  the  soft 
felt  hat  that  he  wore. 

"It  was  a  fancy,"  he  explained,  smilingly,  "of  that 
Basil  Agricola,  who  was  a  Prince  both  of  Holy  Church 
and  of  ^Etolia.  Steel  bonnet  or  red  hat,  there  must 
always  be  a  place  in  which  to  stick  the  famous  '  Car 
dinal's  Rose,'  and,  as  you  see,  not  a  single  petal  has 
ever  fallen  to  the  ground.  May  I  be  as  fortunate, 
for  the  little  time  in  which  I  am  permitted  to  wear 
it." 

The  Baron  had  departed,  and  it  was  now  close  on 
to  two  o'clock.  It  was  decided  that  our  party  should 
start  at  half-past  four,  and  this  gave  me  the  oppor 
tunity  for  a  little  broken  sleep,  stretched  out  on  some 
empty  grain-bags  in  a  corner  of  the  freight-house. 

It  hardly  seemed  that  ten  minutes  had  passed  be 
fore  Stephan  touched  me  on  the  shoulder,  and  told 
me  that  it  was  a  quarter  after  the  hour.  The  Prince 
still  sat  at  the  table  as  I  had  left  him.  He  was  writ 
ing  busily,  and  had  evidently  not  slept  at  all.  He 
looked  up  as  I  scrambled  to  my  feet  and  beckoned 
me  over. 

"I  am  going  with  you,"  he  said,  quietly;  and  then, 
raising  his  hand :  "  No,  the  question  does  not  admit 
of  argument,  and  the  General  will  understand  when 
he  gets  my  note." 

He  sealed  the  letter  and  addressed  it.  "When  one 
has  wasted  many  days,  my  dear  Gary,  he  counts  even 
the  minutes  precious.  Let  us  be  off." 

Narbo  and  his  picked  men  were  in  readiness,  and 
242 


ON    THE   "RAZOR    EDGE" 

we  left  the  camp  on  the  stroke  of  the  half-hour.  A 
quarter  of  an  hour  later  and  we  had  reached  our 
taking-off  place,  and  were  preparing  to  string  out 
along  the  jagged  line  of  the  "  Razor  Edge." 

"Some  one  is  coming,"  whispered  the  Prince,  as  I 
took  my  place  at  the  head  of  the  column  and  was 
about  to  give  the  word.  It  was  Stephan,  panting 
and  holding  up  a  letter  as  he  ran.  Narbo  lit  a  fusee 
under  the  shelter  of  his  cap,  and  the  Prince  and  I 
devoured  the  hastily  written  scrawl.  It  ran  : 

"DEAR  GARY,  —  These  Balkan  children  know  nothing 
of  the  noble  science  of  bridge-building,  and  our  precious 
dynamite -gun  is  even  now  at  the  bottom  of  the  Sankla 
gorge.  I  may  add,  however,  that  I  propose  to  have  one  final 
fling  of  the  dice-box,  and  am  preparing  for  double-sixes.  Not 
that  they  are  sure  to  turn  up,  but  I  think  the  chance  good 
enough  to  let  you  know  of  the  possibility.  So  decide  for 
yourself  whether  or  not  you  will  go  on. 
"  Ever  yours, 

"  KERKER." 

"  He  must  be  pretty  sure  of  his  next  move  or  he 
would  have  contented  himself  with  the  bare  state 
ment  of  the  accident,"  commented  the  Prince,  thought 
fully. 

"Precisely,"  I  returned,  "for  otherwise  he  would 
simply  be  sending  us  into  a  trap.  If  he  gives  us  no 
hint  of  his  plan,  it  must  be  because  its.  success  de 
pends  largely  upon  its  unexpectedness,  and  this  let 
ter  might  have  fallen  into  the  wrong  hands." 

"  Let  us  go  on,"  said  the  Prince,  briefly.  It  was  still 
dark,  but  a  faint  glimmer  upon  the  horizon's  eastern 
rim  showed  that  dawn  was  at  hand.  We  picked  our 
way  along  without  accident,  and  now  we  were  under 
the  deeper  shadow  of  the  walls  themselves.  In  the  dis 
tance  we  could  hear  the  calls  of  the  sentries  upon 

243 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

their  rounds,  but  this  angle  of  the  fortifications  had 
apparently  been  left  unguarded.  Coventry  must 
have  succeeded  in  getting  the  guards  withdrawn 
from  this  particular  point ;  at  all  events,  we  had 
crossed  the  danger  zone  without  being  discovered, 
and  in  five  minutes  more  we  were  all  gathered  upon 
the  little  piece  of  level  ground  in  front  of  the  secret 
entrance.  Two  knocks  followed  by  one  was  the  pre 
arranged  signal,  but  my  uplifted  hand  fell  to  my 
side  as  I  stepped  forward.  The  door  stood  wide  open! 

Irresolute  and  confounded,  I  stopped  short,  my 
eyes  fixed  upon  the  formless  blackness  of  the  passage 
way  beyond.  What  had  gone  wrong  ?  What  was  it 
that  waited  upon  the  threshold  of  that  open  door  ?  If 
a  rush  of  armed  men  had  met  us  face  to  face,  if  the 
silence  had  been  broken  by  the  deadly  click  of  a 
machine-gun,  then  indeed  we  might  have  understood 
and  gone  up  to  grapple  with  the  Death  that  had  de 
clared  itself.  But  before  this  invisible  presence  of 
Fear  the  tongue  grew  thick  in  the  mouth  and  the 
knees  were  loosened.  We  stood  and  waited — a  min 
ute,  an  hour  ?  It  might  have  been  either  so  far  as  I 
could  tell. 

Something — some  one  had  brushed  by  me,  and  was 
even  now  upon  the  threshold.  I  realized  blindly  that 
I  must  follow,  since  a  braver  man  had  led  the  way.  I 
lurched  forward;  some  instinct  told  me  that  the  door 
was  closing.  My  outstretched  fingers  grazed  the  edge 
as  it  swung  inward,  but  they  could  get  no  hold;  my 
naked  fists  were  beating  uselessly  upon  the  rough 
surface  of  the  stone.  The  door  was  shut. 

Some  one  was  coming  down  hand  over  hand  on  a 
rope  that  had  been  flung  from  the  overhanging  para 
pet.  The  dark  figure  straightened  up  as  his  feet 
touched  the  earth,  his  voice  rang  out  stridently : 
"  Back  !  for  your  lives  !" 

244 


ON    THE    "RAZOR    EDGE" 

A  sudden  line  of  fire  ran  along  the  topmost  course 
of  the  battlements,  and  bullets  shrieked  stormily  in 
our  ears.  Back  !  to  the  "  Razor  Edge,"  or  we  are 
dead  men  !  Cursing  and  struggling,  the  men  streamed 
out  upon  the  narrow  causeway  and  fought  with  each 
other  for  a  footing  while  Death  thundered  from  above 
and  waited  in  the  abyss  below. 

The  fire  from  the  ramparts  was  almost  continuous, 
and  if  the  marksmen  had  been  a  trifle  cooler  headed 
they  could  have  wiped  out  the  lot  of  us  in  no  time. 
But  for  the  most  part  the  Soulians  shot  wildly,  and 
our  line  was  now  spread  out  along  the  ridge  and  half 
shrouded  in  the  dense  mist  of  a  foggy  dawn. 

But  every  now  and  then  a  man  would  stumble  as 
he  ran  and  pitch  forward  into  the  chasm.  A  misstep 
or  a  Martini  bullet,  it  was  all  one  in  the  end — that 
dreadful  hundred  yards,  was  it  then  interminable  ? 

I  was  closing  the  file  and  was  perhaps  half-way 
across  when  my  left  arm  suddenly  fell  as  though  by 
its  own  volition,  and  the  shock  spun  me  half-way 
round  on  my  heel.  The  tall  fir-trees,  whose  tops  just 
showed  clear  above  the  level  of  the  precipice,  bent 
over  and  made  as  though  they  would  catch  me  in 
their  swaying  branches.  I  had  an  odd  sort  of  feeling 
that  they  meant  kindly — surely  they  would  hold  me 
securely  until  help  came  ;  I  had  only  to  fall  quietly 
into  their  friendly  arms.  Then  a  strong  hand  seized 
me,  and  I  felt  myself  pulled  up  and  onward — 

Coventry  was  bending  over  me  as  I  opened  my 
eyes. 

"  It  is  nothing  much,"  he  said,  cheerily.  "A  bullet 
through  the  forearm,  and  the  tourniquet  has  stopped 
the  bleeding." 

I  sat  up  and  looked  about  me.  We  were  in  a  little 
grassy  hollow,  a  couple  of  hundred  yards  back  from 
the  gorge,  and  in  comparative  safety.  The  men  were 

245 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

scattered  about  just  as  they  had  flung  themselves 
down  after  their  hard  run.  Narbo  came  over  to  where 
I  was  sitting.  He  had  a  blood-stained  bandage  bound 
around  his  head,  and  his  face  was  white  and  drawn 
with  pain. 

"You  have  lost — how  many?"  I  asked. 

"A  dozen,  perhaps,  not  more." 

"And  the  Prince,  where  is  he?" 

Narbo  looked  at  Coventry  without  replying. 

"Will  you  answer?"  My  voice  died  away  in  my 
throat. 

"  The  Prince,"  said  Coventry,  gravely,  "  is  among 
the  missing." 


CHAPTER  XXVI 
THE  BARON'S  DICE-BOX 

COVENTRY'S  story  was  soon  told.  He 
had  made  his  way  back  to  the  palace 
without  difficulty,  and  been  busy  for  a 
couple  of  hours  in  overseeing  the  serving 
out  of  the  ammunition  —  the  defective 
lot,  as  you  remember.  So  far  there  had  not  been  a 
hitch  in  the  programme,  and  his  arrest  at  four  o'clock, 
when  about  to  leave  the  palace  for  the  secret  rendez 
vous,  came  as  an  unpleasant  surprise.  My  forebod 
ings  had  been  amply  confirmed ;  we  had  been  sus 
pected  and  followed  and  spied  upon,  and  there  was 
only  one  man  who  could  have  thus  tripped  us  up — 
Maitre  Etienne  Vauclot.  "You  were  right  in  fearing 
that  he  had  recognized  you,"  concluded  Coventry, 
"and  with  that  thread  in  his  hand  it  was  an  easy 
matter  to  explore  the  labyrinth." 

"But  you  were  arrested,  you  say?"  and  I  looked  at 
Coventry  as  though  I  doubted  his  material  presence. 
He  laughed.  "  Well,  they  did  go  through  the  formal 
ceremony,  but  my  legs  moved  quicker  than  their  wits, 
or  even  the  bullets  of  the  sentries  at  the  gates.  I  had 
nothing  to  gain  by  submission,  and  I  might  be  able  to 
warn  you  in  time.  So  I  let  the  fellow  nearest  to  me 
have  it  between  the  eyes,  and  cut  away  for  the  cover 
of  the  nearest  side  street.  It  was  all  over  in  a  half- 
minute,  but  it  took  me  a  good  deal  longer  than  that 

247 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

to  make  up  my  mind  to  the  next  step.  I  knew  that  the 
'House-on-the-Wall'  must  be  already  in  the  enemy's 
hands,  but  I  ran  the  risk  of  making  assurance  sure, 
entering  the  house  from  the  rear,  just  as  our  good 
friend  Vauclot  had  done.  Of  course,  as  I  had  feared, 
the  trap  had  been  set,  and  in  the  tapestried  chamber 
sat  King  Jehan's  men,  waiting  calmly  for  the  little 
flies  to  walk  into  their  parlor.  Then  I  happened  to 
stumble  over  some  rope,  and  you  can  guess  the  rest." 

"  If  you  had  only  come  a  minute  or  two  sooner,"  I 
said,  gloomily. 

"  You  are  thinking  about  du  Midi — or,  I  should  say, 
the  Prince,"  he  returned.  "  But  are  you  sure  that  he 
was  with  you  when  the  retreat  to  the  '  Razor  Edge ' 
began  ?  I  am  certain  that  I  did  not  see  him  at  any 
time." 

And  then  the  remembrance  of  that  open  door  came 
back  upon  me,  and  I  was  silent. 

We  reached  the  camp,  and  I  went  at  once  to  General 
Czareska  with  my  story  of  loss  and  of  failure.  He 
heard  me  patiently  and  with  never  a  word  of  reproach. 
The  Prince  had  chosen  to  go  his  own  way,  and  the 
burden  of  his  rashness  must  rest  upon  his  own  shoul 
ders.  But  I,  being  sore  both  in  body  and  in  mind, 
would  not  accept  these  consolatory  platitudes. 

"  Our  opera-comique  war  is  over,"  I  said,  bitterly, 
"and  in  the  eyes  of  Europe  we  are  nothing  more  than 
a  pack  of  naughty  children  who  deserve  to  be  well 
tawsed  for  our  behavior.  To-morrow  the  commis 
sioner  of  the  Powers  will  give  us  all  a  wigging  and 
send  us  home  in  disgrace.  And  the  day  after  that 
our  punishment  will  begin — in  the  comic  weeklies." 

And  then,  having  vented  my  spleen,  I  went  incon 
tinently  to  the  other  extreme,  and,  in  the  fervor  of 
new-born  devotion  to  the  cause,  I  offered  to  lead  the 
forlorn  hope,  an  assault  of  the  walls  by  means  of  scal- 

248 


THE    BARON'S    DICE-BOX 

ing-ladders.  It  is  charitable  to  conclude  that  I  was  a 
trifle  light-headed  from  the  fever  of  my  wound.  I 
have  an  indistinct  recollection  that  it  was  madem 
oiselle  herself  who  held  the  composing  draught  to 
my  lips,  and  I  doubt  if  I  would  have  received  it  from 
other  hands  than  hers. 

It  was  wonderful  what  those  two  or  three  hours  of 
rest  did  for  me,  and  when,  at  eight  o'clock,  Stephan 
brought  me  coffee  and  a  handful  of  biscuit,  I  was 
quite  ready  for  anything.  I  gulped  down  my  soldier's 
breakfast  and  hurried  outside.  A  beautiful  day  and 
July  loth. 

Neither  the  General  nor  mademoiselle  were  visible, 
and  I  concluded  that  they  must  be  in  the  camp,  a 
quarter  of  a  mile.  away.  I  could  see  that  the  lines 
were  being  formed.  Could  it  be  possible  that  the 
attack  was  in  contemplation  ?  Had  the  dynamite- 
gun  arrived  at  last? 

A  hundred  yards  down  the  track  was  a  low  stone 
building,  and  opposite  it  stood  a  car  of  the  ordinary 
gondola  pattern.  Two  or  three  men  were  engaged  in 
loading  it  from  the  storehouse,  and  Coventry  and  the 
Baron  were  watching  the  operation.  I  ran  to  meet 
them. 

"  Well  ?"  I  said,  breathlessly. 

"  I  am  in  excellent  health,"  returned  the  Baron, 
politely.  "How  is  your  arm  ?" 

Coventry  smiled,  but  I  had  no  mind  at  present  to 
disturb  the  good  man's  innocence  of  idiom. 

"The  dynamite-gun  ?"  I  questioned. 

"Alas!  no;  but  still  I  am  hoping  to  make  my 
lucky  throw.  See,  they  are  filling  the  box  now  with 
the  dice." 

"  And  loaded  ones,  too,"  put  in  Coventry.  "  Hardly 
a  square  game,  my  dear  Baron." 

I  had  recognized  at  once  those  peculiar -looking 
249 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

cylinders  that  the  workmen  were  handling  so  care 
fully — giant-powder  cartridges  such  as  are  used  in 
mining  and  in  railway  work. 

"  The  single  track,  you  know,"  said  Coventry,  "  runs 
directly  through  the  Dragon  Gate,  and  the  truss- 
bridge  across  the  old  moat  is  still  in  position.  Once 
over  the  hill,  the  force  of  gravity  will  take  charge  of 
the  Baron's  dice-box  and  see  that  the  '  bones  '  are  well 
scattered.  It  will  be  even  more  magnificent  than  if 
it  were  war." 

And,  indeed,  nothing  could  be  more  simple.  An 
engine  would  push  the  car  up  the  grade  to  the  sum 
mit  of  the  hill  a  quarter  of  a  mile  away,  and  then  let 
it  go  for  that  final  downward  rush,  which  would  hurl 
it  and  its  terrible  cargo  against  the  defences  of  the 
city.  It  would  be  the  heaviest  shot  ever  fired  in  the 
history  of  warfare.  It  must  infallibly  arrive  at  the 
exact  spot  at  which  it  was  aimed,  and  there  could  be 
no  doubt  but  that  its  destructive  energy  would  be  let 
loose  at  just  the  right  moment  and  in  just  the  right 
place.  The  only  chance  of  failure  was  that  the  car 
might  jump  the  track,  but  that  was  not  likely  to  hap 
pen.  With  the  breach  once  made  the  army  would  be 
responsible  for  the  rest.  I  turned  to  the  Baron  and 
took  off  my  hat. 

"  My  compliments,  Baron.  Your  dice-box  is  plainly 
a  lucky  one,  and  I  predict  that  the  throw  will  be 
double-sixes.  Are  you  going  to  toss  the  box  yourself  ?" 

"Of  course  there  will  be  some  one  at  the  throttle  of 
the  engine,"  said  the  Baron,  "and  the  honor  is  natu 
rally  mine — " 

"But  you  have  already  agreed  to  resign  in  my 
favor,"  interrupted  Coventry,  "  and  I  shall  hold  you 
to  your  word." 

"All  right,  my  boy,"  said  the  Baron,  equably;  "it 
was  a  fair  toss-up,  and  you  shall  have  your  place  at 

250 


THE    BARON'S    DICE-BOX 

the  levers.  And  now,  my  dear  Nicholas,  let  me 
recommend  that  you  rejoin  the  General.  It  is  already 
half  after  eight,  and  the  dice-box  is  to  be  shaken  at 
nine  precisely." 

An  engine  had  been  brought  up  from  the  round 
house,  and  Coventry,  with  a  parting  smile  at  me, 
jumped  on  the  foot-board  and  began  to  try  the  mouth 
of  his  iron  steed  under  the  tutelage  of  the  stoker. 
Coventry  was  no  novice  at  the  business,  but  every 
engine  has  its  idiosyncrasies,  and  it  was  the  part  of 
wisdom  to  learn  them  before  the  ride  began.  The 
stoker,  by-the-way,  was  not  to  take  the  trip.  The 
programme  looked  simple  enough — merely  the  push 
ing  of  the  car  over  the  summit  of  the  grade  and  then 
letting  it  run  away  by  itself;  but  for  all  that  some 
thing  might  happen,  and  the  stoker  was  a  wise  man 
in  declining  to  take  the  risk.  Strange  that  this  man, 
so  far-seeing  on  his  own  account,  should  have  been  so 
purblind  where  another's  safety  was  concerned.  But 
Fate  works  with  just  such  clumsy  tools,  and  there  is 
always  one  lying  ready  to  her  hand  when  there  is 
mischief  to  be  done. 

There  was  nothing  that  I  could  do  here,  and  I 
might  be  of  some  use  to  the  General  at  the  camp. 
And  so,  with  a  parting  grip  from  Coventry's  strong 
hand  (I  am  glad  now  for  the  impulse  that  made  me 
offer  my  own  in  farewell),  I  walked  up  the  track  to 
the  grassy  plateau  upon  which  the  patriot  army  was 
massed,  a  heterogeneous  mob,  out  of  which  the  few 
officers  who  understood  tactics  were  trying  to  form 
something  resembling  company  lines.  Their  task  was 
a  difficult  one,  and  to  my  untrained  eye  it  looked 
hopeless.  But  little  by  little  order  was  evolved  from 
the  confusion.  Drawn  up  on  either  side  of  the  rail 
way  track  stood  the  serried  ranks  of  the  revolution 
aries,  silent  and  expectant. 

251 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

The  hill -side  that  we  occupied  had  an  elevation 
slightly  exceeding  that  of  the  city,  and  consequently 
overlooked  the  walls.  The  distance  was  not  much 
over  half  a  mile,  and  the  movements  of  the  enemy 
were  plainly  visible.  Since  early  dawn  the  tops  of 
the  houses  overlooking  the  walls  had  been  black  with 
people,  all  eagerly  curious  to  miss  no  detail  of  the 
coming  spectacle,  whatever  it  might  be.  One  could 
almost  hear  the  hum  of  rumor's  thousand  tongues. 
"  The  patriots  are  about  to  risk  everything  in  a  des 
perate  assault  upon  the  impregnable  walls" — "King 
Jehan  has  been  assassinated"  —  "Prince  Infelix  is 
dead,  a  prisoner" — "  Sarkof  is  on  his  way,  within  the 
hour  his  bugles  will  be  sounding  at  the  Dragon  Gate" 
— "  It  will  be  each  one  for  himself,  and  no  favors  for 
anybody."  And  so  the  tongues  wagged  on,  while 
the  Soulian  artillerymen  stood  at  their  guns  on  the 
walls  below  and  watched  the  dusty  Kavan  road  for 
the  first  glint  of  Sarkof's  rescuing  bayonets.  And 
then  upon  us,  aligned  along  the  green  hill-side,  and 
upon  them,  who  manned  the  blackened  walls  of  Kar, 
there  descended  a  silence  great  and  sudden.  Face  to 
face  we  looked  upon  each  other  and  waited,  and  in 
voluntarily  my  mind  went  back  to  what  must  have 
been  a  very  similar  scene,  the  taking  of  Jericho  by 
the  Israelites.  Here  was  the  same  apparent  ab 
sence  of  offensive  operations,  the  same  silent  be 
leaguering  of  the  city,  the  children  of  Israel  serenely 
confident  that  it  was  the  Lord  God  of  Hosts  who 
fought  for  them  ;  the  inhabitants  of  Jericho  myste 
riously  oppressed  by  the  shadow  of  the  coming  evil, 
conscious  of  their  danger  and  yet  powerless  to  avert 
it.  An  ill-starred  company,  those  men  of  Jericho  ! 
Poor  devils !  None  of  the  commentators  have  ever 
thought  it  worth  while  to  say  a  good  word  upon  their 
part  and  lines  in  the  drama.  Their  business  was 

252 


THE    BARON'S    DICE-BOX 

simply  to  fall  down  with  the  walls,  while  the  Israel 
ites  shouted  and  went  up,  sword  in  hand,  upon  them. 

Step  by  step  I  edged  along  until  I  came  to  where 
the  General  sat  like  an  equestrian  statue,  his  binocu 
lars  fixed  upon  the  Dragon  Gate  and  his  other  hand 
holding  his  opened  watch.  He  bent  over  his  saddle 
bow  to  greet  me. 

"  Irma  is  with  Stephan  on  the  other  side  of  the 
track,"  he  whispered.  "  Will  you  go  to  her  ?  Stephan 
has  a  horse  for  you." 

I  nodded  assent  and  hurried  off,  for  it  lacked  but  a 
few  minutes  of  the  hour,  and  I  wanted  the  opportu 
nity  to  exchange  a  word  or  two  with  mademoiselle. 
And  yet  when  I  rode  up  alongside  of  her  I  felt  that 
the  seal  of  the  common  silence  had  been  pressed  upon 
our  lips  also,  and  that  we  must  not  break  it. 

And  now  with  the  first  boom  of  the  big  bell  in  the 
cathedral  clock-tower  a  curious  thing  happened.  As 
though  swayed  by  some  inexplicable  but  overmaster 
ing  impulse,  the  watchers  on  the  house-tops  and  the 
soldiers  on  the  walls  were  seeking  safety  in  flight. 
Helter-skelter,  Soulians  and  cits  together  streamed 
down  like  disturbed  ants  from  their  points  of  van 
tage,  and  the  walls  of  Kar  were  tenantless.  A  few 
officers  did  their  best  to  check  the  rout,  but  their 
voices  could  not  contend  against  the  clamor  of  the 
panic-stricken  throng,  and  they  were  quickly  swept 
aside.  Well,  so  much  the  better  that  the  victory 
should  be  a  bloodless  one  ;  coming  immediately  upon 
this  scene  of  senseless  terror,  the  rattle  of  the  Baron's 
infernal  dice  must  infallibly  have  an  impressive  moral 
effect. 

The  last  stroke  of  nine  merged  insensibly  into  the 
steadily  augmenting  hum  of  the  rails  at  our  feet — 
Coventry  was  coming.  The  summit  of  the  grade 
was  at  the  precise  point  where  we  were  waiting,  and 

253 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

Coventry  must  have  backed  his  train  for  a  quar 
ter  of  a  mile  or  so  in  order  to  get  a  good  running 
start. 

The  thunderbolt  passed  almost  at  arm's-length, 
but  I  scarcely  saw  it,  and  I  know  that  I  did  not  hear 
a  sound.  All  of  my  faculties  were  focussed  upon  the 
distant  target,  the  four-square  bulk  of  the  Dragon 
Gate,  clear-cut  against  the  blue  of  the  morning  sky. 
It  looked  as  immovable  as  the  granite  hills  around  it, 
impregnable  as  the  battlements  of  heaven  itself. 

To  my  eyes  it  seemed  that  the  mass  of  moving 
metal  barely  touched  the  masonry,  merging  into  it 
as  imperceptibly  as  one  dissolving  picture  blends  with 
another  in  a  magic-lantern  show.  But  the  impene 
trable  veil  of  yellow  dust  that  in  the  next  instant 
hung  before  the  scene  prevented  me  from  grasping 
even  the  smallest  among  the  subsequent  details  of 
the  catastrophe.  Nor  had  my  ear  been  able  to  regis 
ter  the  echoes  of  the  explosion  ;  I  could  only  realize 
that  the  earth-wave  born  of  the  shock  was  at  this  in 
stant  passing  under  our  feet.  I  saw  Irma's  lips  go 
white  and  felt  my  own  head  spinning.  Then,  with 
the  passing  of  the  qualm,  I  realized  that  the  curtain 
of  smoke  and  dusty  haze  was  growing  thinner ;  there! 
it  was  lifting  in  the  wind,  and  we  could  look  straight 
up  into  the  great  square  of  Saint  Michael  over  the 
razed  and  shattered  fragments  of  the  Dragon  Gate. 
And  tor  fifty  yards  on  either  side  there  were  great 
breaches  in  the  solid  walls,  room  enough  and  to  spare 
for  all  who  might  care  to  enter.  I  caught  one  glimpse 
of  the  General's  face  as  he  spurred  forward,  such  a 
look  as  Joshua  himself  might  have  worn  when  he  bade 
the  people  shout  in  witness  that  the  Lord  had  given 
them  the  victory.  And  so  the  orange  and  black  ban 
ners  swept  forward,  and  the  men  of  ^Etolia  stood  in 
the  breaches  of  the  city,  and  there  was  none  to  with- 

254 


THE    BARON'S    DICE-BOX 

stand  them,  seeing  that  great  fear  was  fallen  upon  all 
the  inhabitants  of  Kar. 

Irma  insisted  upon  going  on,  and  we  followed  the 
rush  at  a  distance  that  accorded  better  with  her  im 
patience  than  with  my  ideas  of  discretion.  As  we 
trotted  past  the  shapeless  heap  that  had  been  the 
Dragon  Gate,  I  caught  sight  of  the  driving-wheel 
of  a  locomotive  among  the  ruins.  And  lying  there 
under  the  wreckage  was  a  brown  Alpine  hat,  in  whose 
band  a  gay  little  cock's  feather  had  been  stuck 
jauntily.  Irma's  voice  recalled  me. 

"  I  thought  you  knew,"  she  said,  softly.  "  He  waved 
his  hand  to  you  as  he  went  by." 


CHAPTER  XXVII 

THE    "  HEART   OP    KAR 


o'clock,  and  the  "  Heart  of  Kar  " 

.,,     ,       tj  .  _..         ,,.         , 

still  holds  out  against  us.  The  King  s 
palace,  as  you  remember,  is  a  fortress,  a 
citadel  in  itself,  and  it  is  ill  work  crack- 
ing  nuts  with  one's  teeth.  Of  what  avail 
are  bill-hooks  and  pikes  against  the  ten-foot  masonry 
that  stops  our  way?  And  yet  this  particularly  hard 
nut  must  be  smashed  if  we  are  to  enjoy  the  fruits  of 
victory.  Behind  the  frowning  walls  of  the  "  Heart 
of  Kar"  still  sits  intrenched  the  de  facto  government 
of  King  Jehan,  his  royal  standard  yet  floats  from  the 
topmost  pinnacle  of  the  Red  Tower.  And  if  these 
were  not  good  and  sufficient  reasons,  be  it  known 
that  our  Necessity  rides  with  even  a  sharper  spur. 
Prince  Infelix  is  held  a  prisoner  within  the  "  Heart  of 
Kar." 

The  fact  has  been  established  by  the  voluntary  tes 
timony  of  a  prisoner  who  had  assisted  Vauclot  in 
setting  the  trap  at  the  "  House-on-the-Wall."  It  was 
the  Prince  who  had  pushed  by  me  at  that  last  moment 
and  had  entered  the  open  door.  Fortunately  his  per 
son  had  been  recognized,  and  it  had  been  our  inform 
ant's  own  hand  that  had  struck  up  the  levelled 
weapons.  Alive  and  unharmed  !  There  was  an  im 
mense  relief  in  that  simple  fact,  but  what  now  ? 
The  Baron  touched  me  on  the  arm  :  "  We  have  a 
256 


THE    "HEART    OF    KAR" 

six-pounder  here,  a  modern  piece,  and  in  serviceable 
condition — only — " 

"Only  what?" 

"  We  have  nothing  to  feed  the  infant.  The  shells 
belonging  to  it  are  dummies,  a  pinch  of  powder  to  a 
bushel  of  sawdust." 

Indeed  !  but  Coventry  had  done  his  work  almost 
too  well.  But  wait !  let  me  think — I  remembered 
vaguely  of  his  telling  me  how  he  had  separated  the 
genuine  from  the  false  ammunition  ;  he  had  even  gone 
so  far  in  his  confidences  as  to  intrust  me  with  the 
whereabouts  of  the  secret  storehouse.  I  buried  my 
face  in  my  hands,  concentrating  every  mental  energy 
in  the  effort  to  remember  what  I  had  seen  and 
heard. 

And  then  the  blurred  lines  of  the  picture  grew 
sharp  before  my  closed  eyes  ;  I  saw  it  again,  a  curi 
ously  gabled  house  with  a  long  gilt-lettered  sign  above 
the  shop-front — the  very  words,  "Articles  de  Paris." 
I  looked  up,  and  there  was  the  house  itself,  directly 
across  the  square.  Our  brave  lads  would  have  torn 
the  place  into  match-wood  with  their  bare  fingers  had 
it  been  necessary  ;  now  we  had  food  enough  and  to 
spare  for  our  beautiful  child  of  thunder.  "  Be  sure 
and  speak  up  bravely,  petite,  so  that  our  Prince  can 
hear  you,"  said  the  good  Baron  as  he  closed  the 
breech-block  with  his  own  hands.  The  piece  was 
rolled  forward  to  within  point-blank  range  of  the 
great  iron-studded  gates.  I  looked  at  my  watch  ;  it 
wanted  a  quarter  to  twelve  o'clock. 

"One  moment,  gentlemen." 

A  casement  in  the  gate  -  tower  had  been  thrown 
open,  and  a  solitary  figure  appeared  upon  the  over 
hanging  balcony  of  stone.  For  the  last  time  Etienne 
Vauclot  and  I  were  to  stand  face  to  face,  and  as  our 
glances  met  it  seemed  that  he  was  speaking  to  me 
R  257 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

alone.     But  then  looks  do   not  kill.      He  went  on, 
speaking  with  smooth  deliberation  : 

"You  see,  it  all  depends  upon  who  has  the  last 
word  in  this  little  affair  of  ours.  You,  monsieur,  are 
preparing  a  smashing  argument,  but  it  is  not  an  un 
answerable  one.  I  reply  I  have  only  to  lift  my  hand. 
But  you  do  not  understand.  Let  me  present  you  to 
his  Highness,  Prince  Infelix — for  the  time  being  my 
guest." 

Behind  him,  in  the  embrasure  of  the  window,  stood 
the  Prince,  and  farther  back  in  the  room  there  was 
the  glint  of  sunshine  upon  the  steel  of  a  rifle-barrel. 
Yes,  I  understood. 

Maitre  Vauclot  cleared  his  throat  delicately,  and 
went  on — in  French,  be  it  remembered. 

"His  Majesty,  King  Jehan,  is  expecting  some  other 
guests,  and  indeed  they  may  arrive  at  any  moment. 
Of  course,  I  am  alluding  to  General  Sarkof  of  the 
Soulian  army,  and  our  good  friend  the  commissioner 
of  the  Powers.  It  is  manifestly  improper  that  these 
gentlemen  should  happen  upon  the  unseemly  specta 
cle  of  a  family  quarrel,  and  although  we  should  not 
care  to  parley  with  a  mob  under  ordinary  circum 
stances,  it  is  the  earnest  wish  of  his  Majesty  that  we 
should  come  to  an  understanding.  If  you  will  agree 
to  retire  quietly  you  may  take  with  you  the  person 
of  this  misguided  young  man,  and  we  will  consider 
the  incident  as  closed.  But  against  violence  we  must 
protect  ourselves.  The  instant  that  gun  is  fired,  I 
raise  my  hand.  It  is  a  simple  gesture,  but  my  men 
in  the  room  will  understand  and  will  obey.  We  need 
not  discuss  the  matter  in  further  detail ;  a  Soulian 
army  corps  is  already  within  sight  of  the  walls  of 
Kar,  and  the  commissioner  of  the  Powers  is  strictly 
enjoined  to  notice  and  to  recognize  the  status  quo, 
and  that  alone.  That  is  all,  I  think." 

258 


THE    "HEART    OF    KAR" 

And  now  the  Prince  was  speaking,  and  in  that 
great  silence  every  syllable  fell  like  a  hammer-blow 
upon  our  hearts.  Only  a  dozen  simple  words,  but 
vital  with  the  rhetoric  of  an  invincible  resolution, 
and  we  who  listened  had  only  to  obey.  Then,  as 
quietly  as  he  had  come,  he  turned  and  disappeared 
within  the  apartment.  Vauclot  still  kept  his  place 
upon  the  balcony,  erect  and  watchful.  But  I  could 
see  that  one  hand  had  sought  the  support  of  the  bal 
ustrade,  and  that  he  was  breathing  heavily.  An  old 
gray  wolf,  but  he  faced  us  all  gallantly  at  that  last 
moment. 

The  distant  note  of  an  army  bugle  seemed  to  be 
the  signal  upon  which  we  were  all  waiting.  I  never 
heard  the  General  give  the  word  ;  it  must  have  been 
that  the  gunner  had  taken  it  unuttered  from  his  lips. 
Nor  did  my  eyes  follow  the  course  of  the  shell  as  it 
smashed  fair  upon  the  gates,  and  then,  exploding, 
hurled  them  from  their  hinges.  I  saw  only  the  stone 
balcony  and  him  who  stood  thereon. 

As  the  Prince  finished  speaking,  Vauclot  turned  to 
give  the  signal  to  his  men  within  the  room.  It  was 
but  a  little  thing — a  vagrant  puff  of  wind,  and  the 
handkerchief  had  dropped  from  the  outstretched  hand 
and  was  fluttering  slowly  downward.  With  the  dart 
ing  plunge  of  a  hawk  the  old  man  leaned  far  over  the 
balustrade  and  clutched  at  it — a  bare  half-inch,  but 
he  had  missed. 

It  must  have  been  that  the  mortar  in  the  ancient 
stone-work  of  the  balustrade  had  loosened  and  fallen 
away,  for  the  entire  railing  gave  under  the  press 
ure,  and  Vauclot,  overbalanced  by  the  shock,  had  no 
chance  to  recover  himself.  The  distance  to  the  pave 
ment  was  hardly  more  than  a  dozen  feet ;  in  itself 
the  fall  was  not  necessarily  fatal.  But  as  the  man's 
body  plunged  through  the  air  it  suddenly  seemed  to 

259 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

meet  with  an  invisible  obstruction  ;  arrested  in  mid- 
flight,  it  spun  completely  around,  was  flung  violently 
upward,  and  then  pitched  heavily  to  earth,  a  shape 
less,  headless  trunk.  Incredible  as  it  may  appear, 
the  man  had  fallen  directly  in  the  path  of  the  six- 
pound  shell,  and  at  the  precise  moment  to  receive 
the  full  impact  of  the  missile. 

So  passed  Etienne  Vauclot,  and  with  him  the  evil 
that  he  had  done. 

The  court-yard  of  the  palace  was  held  by  the  King's 
body-guard,  but  they  offered  no  resistance  to  our  vic 
torious  inrush.  Cowed  and  leaderless,  they  were  only 
too  ready  to  throw  down  their  arms,  and  the  "  Heart 
of  Kar  "  was  won. 

To  Stephan's  care  had  been  committed  the  royal 
standard  of  the  house  of  Agricola,  and  he  had  been 
the  second  man  to  pass  the  shattered  gateway.  The 
Baron  stepped  up,  and,  quickly  removing  the  banner 
from  the  shaft,  handed  it  to  Captain  Narbo,  with  a 
significant  look  in  the  direction  of  the  Red  Tower. 
And  the  young  ^tolian,  comprehending  instantly, 
threw  himself  into  the  thick  of  the  crowd  and  began 
shouldering  his  way  to  the  tower  entrance. 

It  was  the  Baron  again  who  summoned  a  couple  of 
axemen  and  set  them  to  work  at  the  door  of  the 
apartment  over  the  gateway  in  which  the  Prince  had 
been  held  a  prisoner.  Crash  !  and  it  had  been  splin 
tered  into  match-wood.  Splendid  machines !  that  file 
of  Soulian  soldiers,  who  still  held  their  levelled  pieces 
and  waited  for  the  signal  that  had  never  come.  Let 
us  credit  them  with  an  honest  dislike  for  the  task 
that  they  had  been  set ;  at  least  they  offered  no  re 
sistance  to  the  eager  hands  that  wrested  away  their 
weapons. 

Once  again  Prince  Infelix  looked  upon  his  people, 
and  even  while  they  shouted  there  was  the  tramplingof 

260 


THE    "HEART    OF    KAR" 

horses'  feet  at  the  gate,  and  an  official-looking  gentle 
man  in  plain  clothes  rode  in  at  the  head  of  a  brilliant 
staff.  He  looked  doubtfully  up  at  the  Red  Tower, 
but  Narbo  had  at  last  succeeded  in  getting  a  pull 
upon  the  halyards,  and  the  wind  was  even  now 
straightening  out  the  heavy  folds  of  the  royal  stand 
ard  of  ^Etolia. 

"  Let  me  be  the  first  to  offer  my  congratulations  to 
your  Majesty,"  said  the  commissioner  of  the  Powers, 
with  the  most  affable  of  smiles.  But  Infelix  looked 
only  at  the  woman  who  had  come  forward  before  us 
all  and  placed  both  her  hands  in  his.  One  must  keep 
faith  where  a  promise  has  been  given,  and  surely  he 
had  borne  himself  like  a  man  in  this  the  final  day  of 
his  probation.  And  again  all  the  people  shouted,  and 
the  King  smiled  at  Irma  and  drew  her  closer  to  his  side. 

It  was  just  as  well  that  I  had  turned  my  eyes  away, 
or  I  should  not  have  caught  that  momentary  flash  of 
sun  on  steel.  Once  before  had  I  looked  up  at  that 
window  in  the  Red  Tower,  and  I  remembered  the 
man  who  had  stood  there  talking  to  a  parrot.  The 
purple  hangings  of  the  window  served  to  accentuate 
the  dead-white  pallor  of  King  Jehan's  face,  but  the 
rifle-barrel  rested  like  a  rock  on  the  window-sill,  and 
there  was  no  hesitancy  of  purpose  in  that  final  glance 
along  the  sights. 

There  was  the  crash  of  a  thousand  muskets  in  my 
ears  as  I  plunged  forward,  literally  shouldering  Infe 
lix  and  mademoiselle  to  one  side.  They  were  safe, 
and  I  too  was  unharmed.  The  triumphant  thrill  rose 
to  ecstasy  as  I  remembered  how  cleverly  I  had  di 
verted  the  course  of  the  bullet  by  that  one  turn  of 
the  hand.  There  it  lay  now,  crushed  and  flattened 
against  the  opposite  wall.  The  trick  had  been  so 
easy — every  one  should  learn  it — to-morrow  I  should 
take  Irma — 

261 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

"Missed!"  and  I  laughed  aloud  and  snapped  my 
fingers  in  the  Red  Tower's  face.  Incredible  !  but  the 
monstrous  stone  thing  laughed  back  at  me — at  me 
whose  statue  already  overtopped  its  puny  height,  an 
ant-hill  that  mocked  at  the  Himalayas.  But  I  must 
be  quick  if  I  would  punish  this  insolent  of  a  Red 
Tower.  Already  my  head  is  striking  against  the 
vaulted  sky — the  blue  mistiness  of  the  empyrean  is 
drawn  as  a  veil  before  my  eyes — now  I  have  cracked 
the  shell  and  I  am  drinking  the  pure  ether  of  the 
upper  space — the  world  a  round  ball  with  which  chil 
dren  play — a  pin-head — 

And  then  all  went  from  me  as  when  one  draws  a 
wet  sponge  across  a  blackboard. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII 

INTO   THE    LIGHT 

seemed  to  me  that  the  room  was  very 
dark  in  which  I  sat,  and  certainly  I  had 
never  left  it.  And  yet  in  some  mysteri 
ous  way  I  knew  that  outside  there  was 
light  and  music  and  flowers,  and  that 
these  were  good  to  look  upon.  But  in  the  room  it 
was  dark,  and  rightly  so,  for  there  is  nothing  worth 
seeing  in  an  empty  room. 

Now  and  then  it  happened  that  people  from  this 
outside  world  came  into  the  darkened  room  and 
looked  sorrowfully  upon  me.  But  we  did  not  speak, 
and  I  was  never  able  to  find  the  door  by  which  they 
entered  and  departed.  But  each  time  they  came  it 
pleased  me  to  think  that  they  left  behind  them  a  little 
of  that  light  from  the  beautiful  world  outside,  and  in 
time  I  came  to  see  that  my  room  was  not  so  empty 
as  I  had  supposed. 

It  was  the  red  rose  that  I  noticed  first,  although  I 
did  not  know  then  that  it  was  called  a  rose,  nor  even 
that  it  was  a  flower.  But  its  color  pleased  me.  And 
when  one  day  I  chanced  to  press  it  to  my  lips,  it 
seemed  as  though  it  were  trying  to  speak  to  me.  It 
was  pleasant  to  listen,  even  though  I  could  not  un 
derstand  what  it  said.  And  from  that  time  on  the 
darkness  in  the  room  grew  thinner,  and  I  used  to 

263 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

imagine  that  I  could  easily  push  it  back  into  the  cor 
ners  whenever  I  wanted  to  look  at  my  red  rose. 

It  is  difficult  work  retracing  my  steps  amid  these 
uncertain  shadows  of  the  past,  and  so  I  cannot  be 
sure  of  how  I  came  to  know  of  the  closed  window 
that  needed  but  a  touch  to  open  it.  But  I  do  recall 
how  the  glorious  sunshine  streamed  in,  and  how  I 
revelled  in  its  light  and  warmth.  What  difference 
did  it  make  that  I  was  still  unable  to  find  the  door? 
Now  that  the  sun  had  entered,  I  was  content  to  re 
main  in  my  room. 

His  name  was  Stephan,  so  he  told  me,  and  after 
many  trials  I  learned  to  say  it  after  him.  And  then 
my  own  name,  but  that  I  never  cared  to  use  ;  it 
seemed  foolish  that  a  man  should  need  any  mark  by 
which  he  should  know  himself. 

Stephan  was  very  good  to  me,  and  he  taught  me 
many  things — words,  and  the  name  of  things,  and  how 
I  should  hold  my  fork  at  table.  And  finally  he 
brought  out  a  chess-board  and  made  me  learn  the 
pieces  and  the  moves.  After  a  little  while  it  came 
to  me  easily,  and  we  had  many  a  battle.  I  may  say, 
too,  without  boasting,  that  the  pupil  was  soon  more 
than  a  match  for  his  master.  I  won  so  invariably 
that  in  time  I  conceded  Stephan  odds,  lest  I  should 
beat  him  too  easily. 

But  one  day  things  did  not  go  well,  and  try  as  I 
would  I  could  not  turn  the  tide  of  defeat.  From 
trivial  mistakes  I  went  on  to  egregious  blunders ;  and 
yet  I  was  not  wholly  to  blame,  for  who  could  do  any 
thing  against  that  detestable  red  castle  of  Stephan's? 
It  was  not  content  with  its  square  on  the  chess 
board,  already  it  had  crowded  off  all  the  other  pieces, 
it  was  filling  the  room,  and  the  walls  were  cracking 
under  the  strain.  And  now  its  enormous  bulk  had 
almost  blotted  out  the  sky ;  I  could  see  the  ivy  cling- 

264 


INTO    THE    LIGHT 

ing  to  its  stones,  the  great  flag  waving  from  its  bat 
tlements. 

Stephan  laughed  and  said  "  check."  I  stared  at 
him  stupidly  ;  what  did  he  want  me  to  do? 

"Check,  m'sieu,"  repeated  Stephan,  and  then  won- 
deringly  :  "  No  ;  not  that !  the  King,  m'sieu  !  the 
King!" 

"  The  King  !"  and  I  sent  the  chessmen  flying  as  I 
sprang  to  my  feet.  "  The  King  !  and  what  is  it  that 
the  commissioner  of  the  Powers  is  saying  so  politely  ? 
The  King  !  and  Irma  with  her  hand  in  his,  and  be 
yond — the  Red  Tower  !" 

Then  the  scattered  shining  points  resolved  them 
selves  again  into  the  clear  light  of  day  and  I  saw 
clearly.  I  put  aside  Stephan's  restraining  arms  and 
walked  to  the  window.  The  trees  were  clothed  in  the 
invisible  green  and  purple  of  the  first  spring,  and  in 
the  garden  outside  my  window  there  was  a  brave  show 
of  crocus-beds  and  of  hyacinths. 

"  Is  it  spring,  then  ?"  and  I  looked  at  Stephan. 

"  April,  Excellenza  ;  we  have  had  an  unusually 
early  season." 

"Ah,  yes;  and  yesterday  was  July  loth.  It  has 
been  a  long  night,  Stephan." 

"  Yes,  Excellenza,  but  I  was  sure  that  it  would  be 
morning  at  last.  The  great  physician  from  Vienna 
was  not  certain,  but  a  woman's  eyes  are  sharper  even 
than  those  wonderful  rays  that  the  doctors  use  when 
they  want  to  see  what  is  going  on  in  one's  head. 
Mademoiselle  would  have  it  so,  and  I  believed  her. 
And  now  any  fool  can  see  that  she  was  right." 

I  walked  over  to  the  mirror  and  looked  at  myself. 
A  little  stouter  if  anything,  and  plenty  of  color  in 
face  and  lips.  Then  I  noticed  the  scar  over  my  left 
temple,  and  how  it  ran  up  under  the  hair.  Mechani 
cally  I  tried  to  trace  its  course  with  my  finger. 

265 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

"The  bullet,  Excellenza,"  said  Stephan.  "But  the 
operation  was  wonderfully  successful,  and  you  were 
walking  around  within  the  week,  a  well  man,  m'sieu; 
it  was  remarkable." 

"Then  the  difficulty  was  here?"  and  I  touched  my 
forehead.  The  poor  fellow  looked  embarrassed. 

"  Excellenza  !"  he  exclaimed,  deprecatingly.  "  It 
was  only  that  m'sieu  had  lost  his  remembrance  of 
things  and  he  had  to  learn  them  over  again.  But  now 
it  has  all  come  back — is  it  not  so  ?" 

I  went  again  to  the  window  and  looked  out.  Cer 
tainly  this  was  not  Kar,  and  there  was  something 
very  familiar  in  the  blackened  fagade  of  a  wing  that 
ran  off  at  an  angle  from  the  main  building. 

"  The  Chateau  Czareska  ?" 

"  Perfectly,  m'sieu.  That  was  the  east  wing,  where 
the  fire  started,  as  m'sieu  doubtless  remembers." 

So  they  had  brought  me  here.  I  was  glad  that 
Stephan  had  left  the  room  on  some  trifling  errand,  I 
wanted  a  chance  to  think  this  over  quietly.  It  is  no 
small  thing  for  a  man  to  have  nine  months  blotted 
out  of  his  life.  It  is  a  long  time,  and  many  things 
may  happen  while  a  man  sleeps. 

Nearly  a  year  since  I  had  sailed  out  of  New  York 
Harbor  !  By  this  time  my  few  friends  and  relatives 
had  assuredly  mourned  me  as  dead.  Even  Murchison 
must  have  grown  tired  of  waiting  for  me  at  the  Grand 
Central  Station,  and  my  sub-editorship  at  the  New 
World  had  long  since  been  turned  over  to  a  better 
man.  My  small  estate  had  doubtless  been  adminis 
tered  ;  by  this  time  my  very  name  had  been  forgotten, 
unless  some  one  had  thought  enough  of  me  to  have 
had  it  chiselled  upon  a  monument  at  Woodlawn.  I  had 
simply  dropped  out  of  my  old  existence,  swallowed  up 
in  the  ocean  of  the  unknown,  without  even  a  ripple  to 
mark  the  place  where  Nicholas  Gary  had  gone  down. 

266 


INTO    THE    LIGHT 

Well,  I  had  lived,  if  even  for  those  few  weeks,  I 
must  not  forget  that.  And  even  if  it  were  again  in 
my  power  to  make  the  choice — well,  I  dare  say  the 
decision  would  be  the  same.  To  look  once  upon  the 
pictured  face  of  a  woman,  and  forthwith  to  set  out  for 
the  edge  of  the  world — could  anything  have  been 
more  absurd  ?  And  yet,  and  yet — 

Why  had  I  not  dared  to  ask  outright  for  her  whose 
name  was  ever  trembling  upon  my  lips — for  Irma  ? 
Surely  it  were  better  to  know  the  truth,  although  I 
could  have  no  doubt  of  the  answer.  And  yet  I  would 
hear  it  in  plain  words,  and  Stephan  was  again  at  my 
side. 

"  The  King,  Stephan  ?" 

"  JEtolia,  Excellenza,  is  free  and  happy.  Can  I  say 
more  ?" 

"And  the  Queen?" 

"  The  Queen  !  But  I  had  forgotten  that  m'sieu 
does  not  know.  There  is  no  Queen — as  yet." 

"  As  yet  ?" 

"  The  wedding-day  is  set  for  to-morrow.  What  joy 
that  m'sieu  is  himself  again,  and  will  be  able  to  assist 
at  the  spectacle  !" 

Joy  !  Who  would  desire  to  be  born  again  if  he 
must  pass  through  a  second  death  ?  Would  that  I 
still  sat  in  the  darkened  room,  if  only  for  this  last  day 
and  for  that  to-morrow  !  But  these  are  the  issues  that 
lie  upon  the  knees  of  the  gods. 

"  Then  mademoiselle  is  here — in  the  chateau  ?"  I 
demanded,  abruptly.  The  question  answered  itself, 
for  as  I  glanced  through  the  open  door  I  saw  her 
coming  swiftly  along  the  corridor.  She  stopped  for 
an  instant  at  the  table  to  put  the  rose  she  carried 
into  a  tall  water-glass,  and  then  came  over  to  where 
I  was  standing. 

She  took  my  hand  as  though  it  had  been  that  of  a 
267 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

little  child  who  needed  to  be  guided  along  a  difficult 
pathway.  I  did  not  look  up  ;  the  wild  thought  had 
seized  me  that  the  old  mask  might  still  serve  me  for 
this  last  day.  But  there  is  a  sixth  sense  in  woman 
with  which  I  had  not  reckoned,  and  it  could  not  be 
deceived.  Suddenly  she  drew  away  from  me  with  a 
little  gasping  cry. 

"I  did  not  intend  that  you  should  know,"  I  said, 
quietly.  "  By  to-morrow  morning  I  should  have  been 
across  the  frontier." 

And  then,  in  answer  to  her  mute  inquiry : 

"  It  is  because  I  am  a  coward.  I  can  find  strength 
to  go  away,  to  give  you  up  once  and  forever,  but  to 
remain,  that  is  a  different  matter.  My  self-surrender 
must  be  a  single  act ;  I  should  not  know  how  to  carry 
it  on  from  day  to  day  and  from  hour  to  hour.  He 
will  understand — I  mean  Infelix." 

"  Infelix !"  she  echoed,  wonderingly.  And  then, 
with  a  new  note  in  her  voice:  "I  had  forgotten  that 
you  did  not  know.  He  died  quite  suddenly,  six  months 
or  more  ago." 

"  But  there  is  a  King,"  I  stammered.  "  Stephan  even 
told  me  of  the  wedding-day — fixed  for  to-morrow." 

"Theodore  Agricola,  of  the  younger  branch.  You 
knew  him  when  he  was  simply  Captain  Narbo."  She 
tried  to  withdraw  her  hand,  but  I  would  not  let  it  go. 

"  He  is  to  be  married  to-morrow,"  I  went  on,  stupidly. 

"Well,  monsieur,  there  are  other  women  in  the 
world." 

An  incontestable  fact,  but  I  do  not  think  that  Irma 
greatly  resented  my  inability  to  recognize  it.  Femi 
nine  intuition  and  masculine  thick  -  wittedness  are 
equally  matters  of  wondering  delight  to  the  opposite 
sex,  and  a  man  who  has  stared  too  long  at  the  sun 
may  be  expected  to  be  a  trifle  blind  to  less  glorious 
objects. 

268 


INTO    THE     LIGHT 

Even  as  she  spoke  she  was  gone,  passing  through 
the  long  French  window  and  disappearing  into  the 
green  wilderness  of  the  garden.  Yet  somehow  she 
contrived  that  I  should  know  how  to  follow  her  flying 
footsteps. 

It  has  taken  me  some  little  while  to  knit  up  each 
and  every  ravelled  end  of  memory,  but  I  have  them 
all  now.  And  first  of  Infelix. 

He  had  learned  the  truth  from  Irma's  face  at  the 
moment  when  I  was  struck  down  by  Jehan's  bullet. 
But  she  did  not  know  of  this  until  that  dreadful  day 
three  months  later  when  Infelix  lay  dying,  crushed 
and  broken  under  the  weight  of  that  black  devil  of  a 
Transylvanian  stallion. 

"  It  is  better  thus,"  he  had  whispered  as  she  bent 
over  him.  "  The  doctors  had  only  given  me  a  year  at 
the  farthest,  and  it  hurts  more  to  be  cut  up  by  inches. 
Nicholas  will  get  well,  and  when  he  does,  remember 
that  it  was  my  wish." 

So  Infelix  died,  and  they  took  him  up  and  buried 
him  in  the  sepulchre  of  the  kings  of  ^Etolia.  And 
all  the  land  mourned  for  him  many  days. 

Was  it  an  accident  with  poor  Coventry,  or  not  ?  No 
one  could  ever  say  certainly  just  how  the  blunder 
happened.  When  he  backed  the  engine  and  car  to 
get  headway  the  two  were  of  course  coupled  together. 
But  he  had  come  to  a  full  stop  before  reversing  at  the 
round-house  to  give  the  stoker  a  chance  to  cut  out 
the  connection.  When  questioned,  the  man  insisted 
that  he  had  done  his  duty,  but  under  pressure  he 
acknowledged  that  he  was  excited  and  anxious  to  get 
away  from  the  dangerous  vicinity  of  the  dynamite- 
car.  The  coupling  was  of  a  patent  kind  and  compli 
cated  in  operation.  Under  the  circumstances  it  was 
not  impossible  that  the  unlocking  process  had  not 

269 


THE    CARDINAL'S    ROSE 

been  fully  carried  out.  And  so  when  at  the  critical 
moment  Coventry  attempted  to  set  the  engine  brakes 
and  let  the  car  run  away,  he  suddenly  found  that  the 
connection  between  the  two  was  still  unbroken.  It 
would  seem  that  he  might  have  stopped  both  car  and 
engine  if  only  he  had  acted  promptly,  but  this  is  pure 
conjecture.  It  was  oh  a  dovr.i-grade  at  top  speed,  the 
flat-car  had  no  brake-pipe,  and  it  is  always  possible 
that  the  air-pump  did  not  work.  All  we  can  say  is 
that  he  did  his  duty  and  went  down  like  a  brave  man 
LO  his  death.  Surely  to  such  a  one  much  may  be  for 
given  of  his  errors  in  life.  His  monument  in  the 
cathedral  is  evidence  that  ^Etolia  is  not  unmindful  of 
her  debt  to  his  memory,  and  Mrs.  Verriker  is  still  a 
member  of  our  household.  But  somehow  she  gets 
along  better  with  the  children,  who  adore  her,  than 
with  either  Irma  or  me.  Some  memories  remain. 

The  Baron  makes  us  a  visit  every  year,  and  the 
last  time  he  was  here  I  asked  him  for  the  solution  of 
a  little  mystery  that  had  always  puzzled  me. 

"Baron,"  I  said,  "do  you  remember  a  rather  odd 
circumstance  connected  with  your  abduction  ?  At 
the  last  moment  you  wrote  a  note,  which  the  General 
read,  and  which  was  then  forwarded  to  its  destination. 
Of  course,  it  was  your  own  private  business,  and  may 
be  yet.  But  perhaps  at  this  late  day  you  may  be  will 
ing  to  satisfy  my  curiosity." 

The  Baron  looked  at  the  General,  and  both  laughed 
heartily. 

"As  you  say,  my  dear  Nicholas,"  answered  the 
Baron,  "it  is  late  in  the  day,  and  the  business  has 
long  ago  been  settled  up.  As  you  remember,  the 
letter  was  to  my  confidential  agent,  M.  Bert.  I  was 
heavily  interested  in  the  stock-market,  and  I  realized 
that  my  taking  off  would  produce  a  mild  sort  of  crisis. 
So  I  instructed  my  man  to  sell  all  along  the  line — a 

270 


INTO    THE    LIGHT 

bear  raid,  as  you  would  call  it  in  Wall  Street.  And 
the  slaughter,  my  dear  boy,  oh,  it  was  terrible  !  Con 
sols  and  Egyptians  tumbled  like  a  pack  of  cards,  and 
I  gathered  in  my  millions  on  the  rebound.  A  good 
stroke,  you  will  say,  but  still  it  was  a  fair  game,  and 
took  nerve  to  win  it.  You  remember  how  the  auto 
mobile  broke  down  on  -he  road,  how  near  the  gen 
darmes  came  to  nipping  us  at  Havre,  and,  finally, 
that  booby  of  a  French  lieutenant  ?  Had  that  shot 
from  the  Diane  gone  through  the  machinery  of  the 
Sea  Fox  I  should  have  been  rescued,  and  it  would 
have  cost  me  twenty  million  francs  to  settle  up  my 
contracts.  Do  you  wonder  that  I  prayed  to  be  deliv 
ered  from  my  friends  ?" 

And  once  again,  and  for  the  last  time,  I  rise  and  say, 
solemnly : 

"  Baron,  you  are  indeed  a  great  man." 


THE   END 


Date  Due 


I  i 


v "'"''iwmmilllllm 

A     000551  521 


